No H8te

Today may be the day that history gets written. Everyday we move forward, and some days we move 10 steps backward, but it's the constant progress that motivates people to keep working for the change that they want to see.

Today the US Supreme Court will make 2 major decisions on Prop 8 and DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). The former prevents same-sex couples from getting married, and the latter restricts marriage benefits to only opposite-sex couples. If overturned, it would represent a giant step forward for the citizens of the United States, as well as light up many candles of hope in the hearts of the millions watching from other countries.

As with any great leaps forward, there is, of course, a great American love story involved. In this case, Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, citizens of New York and partners for 42 years (picture above). Just 21 months after they got married in Canada, Thea passed away due to multiple sclerosis, leaving Edith her estate of $3.5 million. This is where the law got in the way, as Edith now found herself faced with over $363,000 of federal estate taxes, none of which she would have faced if she had married a man. Last year in June, after almost 3 years of court proceedings, the court finally ruled in favour of Windsor.

In this day and age, when the concept of marriage is being questioned over and over again, who are we to doubt that this partnership was anything less than committed? Who are we to judge that what they had between them was anything less than a straight couple's? If anything, I can even argue that it takes even more to stay in a committed gay relationship because there are that many more hurdles to overcome.

I think I've said it one too many times, but nobody would choose to be gay if they could. It's too hard, it's too tumultuous a path to take, it's too emotionally stressful being rejected from society over and over again. So respect the love that we have for each other, because at the end of the day, why hate love?

I hope we hear some good news tonight. The timing couldn't be more apt. On Saturday morning, we are going to attend a talk on the Lasting Power of Attorney. Legally there are ways to ensure your partner is protected when you pass on. It's important to equip ourselves with the knowledge on how to protect the love and relationship we have, especially since the constitution doesn't. It's a free talk at various locations, and if you are reading this and are interested to know more, sign up here!

Also on Saturday, the Pink Dot event in Singapore is happening at Hong Lim Park. The pink dot lights up at 7pm, so come early to enjoy some performances and hang out with people who don't discriminate love. For sure, I'll be there.

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Edit 27/6/2013
Awesome possums both Prop 8 and DOMA were ruled unconstitutional in the US!!!!! It's another happy day in rainbow land!!