"Okay. So Prop 8 passed. Alright, I get it. 51% of you think that I am a second class citizen. Alright then. So my wife, uh I mean, roommate? Girlfriend? Special lady friend? you are gonna have to help me here because I am not sure what to call her now. Anyway, she and I are not allowed the same right under the state constitution as any other citizen. Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation thing from the history books.

Okay, cool I don't mean to get too personal here but there is a lot I can do with the extra half a million dollars that I will be keeping instead of handing it over to the state of California. Oh, and I am sure Ellen will be a little excited to keep her bazillion bucks that she pays in taxes too. Wow, come to think of it, there are quite a few of us fortunate gay folks that will be having some extra cash this year. What recession? We're gay! I am sure there will be a little box on the tax forms now single, married, divorced, gay, check here if you are gay, yeah, that's not so bad. Of course all of the waiters and hairdressers and UPS workers and gym teachers and such, they won't have to pay their taxes either. Gay people are born everyday. You will never legislate that away.

Oh and too bad California, I know you were looking forward to the revenue from all of those extra marriages. I guess you will have to find some other way to get out of the budget trouble you are in.
…Really?

When did it become okay to legislate morality? I try to envision someone reading that legislation "eliminates the right" and then clicking yes. What goes through their mind? Was it the frightening commercial where the little girl comes home and says, "Hi mom, we learned about gays in class today" and then the mother gets that awful worried look and the scary music plays? Do they not know anyone who is gay? If they do, can they look them in the face and say "I believe you do not deserve the same rights as me"? Do they think that their children will never encounter a gay person? Do they think they will never have to explain the 20% of us who are gay and living and working side by side with all the citizens of California? I got news for them, someday your child is going to come home and ask you what a gay person is. Gay people are born everyday. You will never legislate that away.

I know when I grew up gay was a bad word. Homo, lezzie, faggot, dyke. Ignorance and fear ruled the day. There were so many "thems" back then. The blacks, the poor ... you know, "them". Then there was the immigrants. "Them." Now the them is me.

I tell myself to take a breath, okay take another one, one of the thems made it to the top. Obama has been elected president. This crazy fearful insanity will end soon. This great state and this great country of ours will finally come to the understanding that there is no "them". We are one. We are united. What you do to someone else you do to yourself. That "judge not, lest ye yourself be judged" are truthful words and not Christian rhetoric.

Today the gay citizenry of this state will pick themselves up and dust themselves off and do what we have been doing for years. We will get back into it. We love this state, we love this country and we are not going to leave it. Even though we could be married in Mass. or Conn, Canada, Holland, Spain and a handful of other countries, this is our home. This is where we work and play and raise our families. We will not rest until we have the full rights of any other citizen. It is that simple, no fearful vote will ever stop us, that is not the American way.
Come to think of it, I should get a federal tax break too..."

__________________________
Plus a shining moment in television history from Keith Olbermann:

Laurie and I were showered with love and support (& serious creativity) last Sunday. From the balloons, cupcakes, and flaming lips, to the bride topper, oversized portrait and fashion show....it was definitely an evening to remember.

Can't wait to see you all at the wedding!

Click on any above photo to link to the set.

I'm so tickled about our new garden bed! A couple months ago Laurie started killing the grass (newspaper with rocks on top actually works). We turned the grass over this weekend and surrounded the bed with free rocks that Laurie found on craigslist. Jen (beautifully pictured above) and Adele came by tonight with a truck filled with rich and stinky compost as well as lots of dahlia bulbs. Now we just need to water this puppy.

THE OCTOBER DAHLIA UPDATE:

Look at how beautifully they grew!!

The invitations are ready to go out! YIPPEE!

No, they are not Save the Date (STD tee-hee) cards. Yes, we know that our wedding is 9 months away. Yes, we just can't wait any longer to share all of this with you, soooooooo enjoy the music and the website!

Scout, Laurie and Stuart sure look perky as they cut, fold and stuff all those invites! =)

I am having too much fun putting together this site.... what do you think of the music playing - doesn't it just rock?

You are listening to:

- "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. We walked down the aisle to this one...

- "Today" by Joshua Radin

- "To You" by Amy Martin. The lyrics are from a Walt Whitman poem. Watts sang this during the ceremony while Lisa guided her on guitar.

- "Space Walk" by Lemon Jelly - This was originally found on the great wedding blog, Offbeat Bride... Someone had their wedding party come in to this song - how rad is that? Enjoy!

You can turn off the music in lower left corner (on the border/frame) of the this site at any time!