...With Liberty and Justice For All

Today's a big day.

Tomorrow is also a big day.

The US Supreme Court is holding hearings on whether or not Proposition 8 (which bans same-sex marriage in California) and DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act, banning federal recognition of same-sex marriage since the 1990s) are constitutional.

Rejection of either would be a victory, but here in MI, where the state constitution has been amended to prohibit same-sex marriage, the possible repeal of DOMA is what really has our attention.

E and I could get married. Legally. In front of our families and friends, and in our home state - we wouldn't have to travel to another state or country to do so. No signing power of attorney papers for each other and just crossing our fingers, hoping they'll be honored when the time comes. If we wanted to start a family, there would be no need to worry about only one of us being the legal parent - we could both be listed on the birth certificate.

No more staying closeted for fear that we could lose a job. (We've been fairly lucky, as artists and healers - our employers are pro-equality. But I have lost a job due to bigotry in the past.)

We would be full citizens, with all the rights, responsibilities, and protections that status entails.

No more second-class citizens...

I grew up assuming that I was straight, that looking at girls was something all girls did. Easy assumption, when focusing/commenting on the appearance of other women is the cultural norm. It wasn't until high school that I recognized my feelings for what they were, and it wasn't until my junior year of college that I acknowledged and began to explore those feelings. So, I grew up assuming that I had the same rights as everyone else. I grew up believing in my own equality, and in the equality of all human beings. It's what we preach here in America, it's what's drummed into us from birth. Freedom. Equal protection under the law. The rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

And then one day, you discover the truth. That some rights are exclusive to heterosexuals. That, in the words of Orwell's "Animal Farm",

"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

Do you know what that's like?

If you're straight (especially if you're straight, and white, and male), do you realize your own privilege? Are you aware that you are more equal than others?

Tomorrow, E and I (and all the other gays and lesbians in the United States) could be granted full equality. Or, rather, our inherent full equality with every other human being could finally be recognized by law.

That silence? That's the collective, hearts-in-mouths, holding of breath...