An Anniversary
8 years ago today (it was a Sunday at the time), Delia Sherman & I got legally married in our backyard in Somerville, Massachusetts. We'd had a huge illegal wedding 8 years before that, with flowers and food and music and poems and 250 guests . . . but this was the one that allowed us to call the doctor and the electric company and every single infrastructure of married life, and simply say, "I'm calling for my wife" without having to pretend to be each other or do some fancy dancin'.
It was weird when we moved to NYC in 2006: Suddenly, we were "living in sin" - we'd gleefully shriek each time we crossed state lines! But then not only NY state but CONNECTICUT legally recognized our union - and suddenly we could drive all the way from NY to Boston without having to worry if anything happened. (I still carry a copy of our Marriage License in my computer case - though I no longer worry about having the Health Proxies directly to hand in those states.)
Our Boston accountant, a wonderful gay guy, still made us promise that we wouldn't insist that he try to file Federal taxes as a married couple, as it is not legal, and his profound activism doesn't extend to professional ruin. So:
Thank you, Massachusetts! And every state that's followed suit. We appreciate it - and so will everyone, when it's in all 50 states of the Union! May the day be soon.
The icon is a photo of my wedding band: oak & ivy intertwined, hand-carved for us (from actual leaves we sent him - the Oak is from near Terri Windling's home in Devon) - by the great Tom Herman of 7 Fingers Jewelry . . . but that's another story for another day.