He's my brother in law, but I love him like a brother. He lost his partner of 17 years in 2006.
My youngest brother in law is gay. And he fell in love. And the person that he fell in love with fell just as hard.
And they got engaged.
And they got legally married on Friday, July 22, 2011 in Washington, DC.
And we were not with them. Because, y'see, we live in South Carolina, and the chance that South Carolina will ever approve gay marriage is about 20%. That's the percentage of people who voted Yes to a proposed constitutional amendment allowing same sex marriage in our fair (unfair) state.
And, well, I just don't like the fact that they had to travel to Washington, D.C. to legally wed. They will have a ceremony when they return for family and friends, but we were not able to watch them when it became official. And that makes me sad.
I have not asked permission to put any photographs up, so I can't but I hope they will allow me to photograph the local ceremony....I'm just filled with joy for them, and sadness that I was able to waltz down the aisle in a fancy dress and pledge my vows with my nearest and dearest only a few inches away, and they were cheated out of that joy.
I hope that by the time my children reach marryin' age, things will change, and I think they will.
The United States Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia that NO state could forbid interracial marriage. In 1967. Forty-four years ago. Federal law always trumps state law, so the provision in South Carolina's constitution forbidding interracial marriage, passed after the Woah* in 1865, was automatically null and void as soon as that ruling was handed down. One day, the United States Supreme Court will rule that both the federal government and ALL STATES must honor valid marriages performed in other states. It won't be long.
On that day, every state will be forced to recognize marriages performed in other states. It won't mean that South Carolina will have to pass an amendment allowing for gay people to marry in our state. They will just have to recognize and treat as valid marriages performed in other areas.
Wanna guess how long it took for South Carolina to allow interracial marriages?
February, 1999.
If either one of our kids are gay, I hope they like destination weddings. Lessee, the War Between The States ended in 1865, and interracial marriage was allowed in SC in 1999.....It only took 134 years. We'll see...I'll be dead as the proverbial doornail before it happens here.
T'aint right. Oh well. Blessings and joy to the newlyweds!!!! Roger's parents just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. And now all of their 7 children are married!!!
*That's Southern for war.
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