I attended my friend's wedding in May.
We went to high school together but have not seen each other in about 10 years. So when I received her invitation, I was flattered to hear from her. She convinced me to bring my girlfriend to the wedding possibly as way to inspire me into taking up marriage with her in the not too distant future. Who knows, maybe the four of us could bond as really good married friends and the three girls could plan special nights out while I enjoyed time alone with my hobbies.
Wait, three girls?
Yeah, my high school friend, a woman, was marrying another woman. Having known her, I was not surprised and had no issue. But it seemed that the people behind Prop 8 did. And the people opposing the proposition that defined marriage as between a man and a woman were certainly celebrating when Prop 8 was overturned on Wednesday. But before William Shakespeare's classic romantic tale Romeo & Juliet is upstaged by a "lost" draft of Shakespeare's Romero & Mercutio, expect the supporters of Prop 8 to launch an appeal to the appeal of Prop 8's reversal. Then expect an appeal to the appeal of the appeal. Regardless of one's opinion on the same-sex marriage issue there is one lesson both sides are teaching: If things do not go your way, make enough noise until someone can fix it.
Wait, if Prop 8 just got reversed in August, how did my friend get married in May?
I do not know the legal or intimate details of their relationship. At the time, all I knew was that my friend found the love of her life, they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, and they wanted a Victorian-themed ceremony to celebrate their union. Rather than pay attention to minor details about the legal or religious details of the marriage, my attention on their wedding day was on making sure the Victorian era garb that my girlfriend and I chose was decent, hoping our wedding gift to them did not break, and finding parking since a Cinco de Mayo parade going on at the same time blocked the main roads to the wedding venue.
On that Saturday in May, the debate over the definition of marriage was moot. The couple guests who held each other closely were man and woman; woman and woman; or man and man. The Victorian-themed ceremony was wonderful as the two women pledged their love to each other and the officiator. The officiator was a great orator, who made it a point to remind everyone that marriage is more than just about the sexes of the married couple. It is about trust. It is about supporting each other during the hard times while celebrating the good times. It is about friendship. It is about It is about love.
Family and friends cheered them on from the altar. I held my girlfriend's hand a little tighter and we silently agreed that whether gay or straight, marriage between two loving people is a beautiful thing.
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