Hi. My name is Lizz. I'm a 30-something suburban working mom. I've been happily married for almost five years, and have the most amazing 3-year old ever. I'm about as white bread as you can get. We have bamboo floors and granite counters. I drool over the Anthropologie and Tiffany catalogs I get, but in reality get most of my clothes and accessories at Target and Kohls. I watch Grey's Anatomy and So You Think You Can Dance, and listen to Mumford & Sons and Adele.I'm a mommy blogger and I drive a Mazda hatchback. I scrapbook and bake and wish I could afford to get a mani-pedi every week.
And there's no political issue ever, in the history of my life, that I've felt more passionate about than marriage equality.
I call it an issue, but it's a NON-issue. To my mind, it's like asking me, "Hey Lizz! Should we have burgers or cat poop for dinner?" A non-issue. I just don't get it. Opponents call themselves "Protectors of traditional marriage," or "Save Families! Marriage is between and man and a woman!" Bullshit.
See, here's the thing.
The sky will stay put, and your life will be exactly the same as it was yesterday. Your paycheck will be the same, you'll still have to make extra trips to the grocery store for milk and bread, your husband's feet will still stink, you'll still have to refill the toilet paper roll, your wife will still nag you about putting the dishes away, and if there were problems in your marriage, they'll still be there. The only difference is that the nice gay couple down the street will now be married, and have the same protections and rights under the law that you do.
And they'll probably be happier than you can imagine, because for them, their marriage has taken effort. They didn't get to walk down the aisle, they've come across a battlefield. They didn't get to run off to Vegas for a drive-thru quickie ceremony after a few too many cocktails resulting in a 55 hour marriage *coughBritneycough* They FOUGHT for this.
Last night, New York state voted to legalize same-sex marriage, and the word is that ceremonies will start in 30 days. A single tweet last night made me tear up, and the thought of these couples, who have been waiting for so long, who will finally get their day... I thought I was excited when planning my wedding!
So here's what it boils down to: Marriage is about love between two people. Two. To deny two responsible, in love, willing adults the ability to marry is denying them the right to be happy. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Who are we to get in the way?
