Gay couples hope holidays bring gift of marriage rights

I just read a poignant op-ed that appeared in the Baltimore Sun on Dec. 1st. Maryland's highest court heard closing arguments yesterday in a case where 17 individuals are challenging Maryland's gay marriage ban.

For me, the title of "marriage" is irrelevant. It is more important for me to be afforded the same rights as married couples. Call it a "civil union", call it "life partnered" or whatever. All I ask is to be granted the same rights and privileges as my straight counterparts.

The Maryland resident so clearly states:

The consequences of exclusion from marriage for the eight same-sex couples and one widower in Deane and Polyak are much more stark. Immigration, taxation, decision-making in medical crises, rights after death, child custody. Each circumstance is painful, each story heartbreaking. In Maryland, more than 1,000 rights and responsibilities are given to couples as a result of being married. Same-sex couples are excluded from these rights and responsibilities. It has a huge impact on the lives of the 17 people involved in the lawsuit. It has had a huge impact on my life.

When those 17 people stand before the Court of Appeals in Annapolis on Monday, they will stand for thousands of us in Maryland. According to the most recent U.S. census, there were more than 11,500 same-sex households in Maryland. Even a conservative estimate of the total number of gay and lesbian people in the state would be more than 150,000.

I'm moving to Virginia on Friday and I'm not thrilled about the lack of gay rights in the Commonwealth but just like other gay couples in the country we will have to make do "until our lives and our relationship are so utterly ordinary that they cannot be denied."