A photo is worth 1,000 words (or 20,000 dollars)

Yes, the first pics of the wedding are now available. These are shots taken by various family members during the event. We'll be offering a PRO upgrade once the photographer's works are ready for viewing. Just click here, or on the "Our family photo album" link on the right to check them out.

Sweet victory? or just Saccharine?

Let's hope we don't end up with a bitter after-taste later, people. The media is heralding yesterday's Massachusetts Joint Session action (or delay of action) as a beacon of hope for gay marriage supporters. I certainly feel that way, but only time will tell.











Ben and I stood outside the Massachusetts Statehouse yesterday, along with a few hundred other activists, holding our placards and shouting our slogans, which included:
--Civil marriage, civil rights!
--Let the people marry!
--Separate church and state!
--They're honking for us; our cause is just!

...along with many verses of "This Little Light of Mine."





The other side, mostly composed of the 60+ crowd, held signs saying "Let the People Vote." While I can't deny that one's right to vote is a basic tenet of our Constitution, so is the notion of equal rights for all people. And civil rights are not a voting issue.


We far outnumbered the naysayers, which was even more evident as we sat in the Gardner Auditorium inside the Statehouse later that afternoon and watch live video feeds of the legislators as they made their case either for or against turning our future over to the people of Massachusetts. The sound of our applause versus theirs truly made me feel powerful, and on the side of the majority on the issue for the first time.

I wonder how many people on the "Let the People Vote" side were really FOR our marriages, but simply felt deprived of their constitutional right to help solidify our position through popular vote. Fewer than there are gay ballroom dance competitions at an AFA meeting, I'm sure.


So the Constitutional Convention will resume for its last session for this period on January 2. It's not expected that there will be a quorum present to vote on the amendment at this time. If this is the case, then the ballot initiative proposal is DEAD.

Rest in pieces.

Now my family and I can get back to being a family, and not living in a shadow of uncertainty about the status of our legal future... at least for now.

Deep breath

Sorry for such a long hiatus. There are just a few things going on in my life at the moment: getting married Oct 29, where we hosted 100 people, 10% of which were staying in our home. It was great. Then Nov 7 came the elections, and thank god we got most of what we wanted. I couldn't have imagined a better wedding gift than seeing the Republicans exit the Massachusetts governor's spot, and waving bye-bye to Rick Santorum.

Having said that, all is not rosy. Tomorrow, Nov 9, is the Consitutional Convention, or ConCon, at the MA Statehouse, and one of the HOT topics is the vote on a proposed amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in the Commonwealth. Only 25% of participants (only 50 votes) have to support this tomorrow in order for it to move to a SECOND ConCon (next year), and if THAT passes as well, the amendment will go on the public ballot in 2008 to be voted on by THE PEOPLE. ARrrghhhh.

So tomorrow, after I drop Koby off at daycare, my friend Ben and I will head to the Statehouse. Watch this space for what I hope will be some interesting photos of people screaming at each other across the street.

And keep your fingers crossed. While I've read that even if all this back-stepping comes to its horrible end with a hate-mongering constitutional amendment, supposedly MY marriage is not in harm's way. It just means that no MORE same-sex couples can marry here in the future. Gee, great.

So the Commonwealth will allow two men to adopt a child, but not have the legal protection of marriage while they're raising that child?

PLEASE. CURB YOUR DOGMA.