In July, British Columbia began providing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In August, we decided to travel from our home in Washington state to the village of Sooke on Vancouver Island in Canada to get married in celebration of our 10th anniversary as a couple.
It was a decision made after careful consideration. We knew that until the ongoing national debate finally is resolved and marriage equality is secured in the United States, our same-sex marriage would encounter a mix of support and discrimination, of respect and uncertainty.
Some friends — gay and straight — also questioned why we would choose to participate in an institution that has a checkered history of oppression and discrimination. We had a simple response: Marriage has changed. Women no longer are treated as chattel. Mixed-race unions no longer are forbidden. Finally, governments are beginning to realize that there is no rational basis to discriminate against same-gender couples.
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http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-01-12-gay-marriage_x.htm