Marriages resume in California!

I woke up this morning to find that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted the stay, and marriages are currently happening in California. Both sets of Plaintiffs that were part of the Prop8 SCOTUS ruling are now married. It makes me cry, because I know how long many have waited for this and struggled to make it happen. Especially when many of us thought that Prop8 would fail in the first place.
San Francisco, you have NO idea how much I miss you right now. I remember when I was working at 1455 Market Street in 2004 when then Mayor Newsom allowed marriages to take place. From my office I overlooked City Hall and I could see couples lining up every day waiting to see if it would happen to them, random strangers bringing people flowers for their ceremonies and the feeling of excitement and love that was there, and then all that happened afterward that led to the events this week. I can only imagine what that vibe is right now in the city I miss so much. Enjoy it my friends, you are part of history.

Wow, what an incredible day that was, now cue the American Taliban

Yesterday we saw some pretty big rulings from the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled that section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional. In addition the Court ruled that the Proponents of Prop 8 did not have legal standing to defend the law, once the State of California declined to do so, therefore the original ruling by a lower court that Prop 8 was discriminatory.

These rulings have brought about huge changes for many friends of mine, as well as for Carl and I. Many of my friends in California are once again married, and more can do so shortly. In addition all of us who are married are now recognized as such by the Federal Government. This allows us a myriad of things that so many people who are married take for granted. A few of these are;

• Sponsorship for Immigration;
• Joint Income Tax filing;
• Next of kin status for medical emergencies;
• Family visitation rights for hospitals;
• Spousal bereavement and funeral leave;

and many more that are sure to be realized as we discover what this means. Most importantly for me is that next time when we go to the US, Carl and I will be able to go through Passport Control as a family. It is these little things that make all the difference in the world to us. 

There are many who have decried yesterdays ruling as a sin. That "jesus is weeping" and a myriad of other bullshit quotes that are out there in the media, Twitter and and the interwebs. Tony Perkins of the oddly named Family Research Council wrote in an email (begging for money) "By a single vote, five unelected justices determined that they know better than God and struck at the heart of marriage in America." To you Mr. Perkins I say that your god did not write the Constitution of the United States of America. Nor did your god create marriage and define the term, nor does your bible dictate what can or can't be done in the United States of America. You sir, and all those like you; Michele Bachmann, and any other leader who puts god before country are the American Taliban. Leave your religion off of my rights. If any of my friends or family feel this way, you are small-minded and no longer part of my world. Good riddance to you. 

There is a long road ahead for our fight. Section 2 of DOMA must fall, and we need to fight legal battles in every state where equal marriage does not exist or worse is enshrined in the State Constitution as illegal. We will not rest until that is done. No one will. 

Yup, it's been quiet on this here thing.

Sorry, I guess I have just not felt that anything going on has warranted posting. A lot has been going on with family, and stuff but just nothing I felt I had to share, or really wanted to.

Everything is still status quo, still no job, trying to fill my days and getting frustrated with it apparently. We are down to our last year here in Sweden, and though there are a lot of things and people I will miss, I think it is time to move on. If not back to Canada, then hopefully somewhere where English is the operating language as to increase my chances of getting a job. In the meantime I will just keep baking when I can, and try not to snap so much at Carl.