I've never been more proud to live in Connecticut.

Today, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage.

There are many horrible things happening in the world that compete for our attention each day, but the opposition to gay marriage is one of the issues that hits me the hardest--especially because there are so many horrible things happening in the world. Terrorism is thriving. Starvation, homelessness, discrimination and epidemic-level diseases such as AIDS and cancer can be found around every corner...and people are spending their time and energy working to prevent two people in a committed partnership from making it an official, legal union?

And the whole battle over the semantics just fucking kills me. "Marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman." That's so interesting. Because that's certainly not what defines my marriage. My husband and I use words like 'respect', 'trust', 'commitment' and 'honor' -- words whose meanings I find in abundance in the committed LBGT relationships I know.

When we were in Washington, D.C., we stopped in at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters. The HRC fights for LBGT rights. There was nothing to do or see there -- it's really just an office building. But I wanted to tell them that they were doing good work, important work. What really struck me, though, was the size of the building. It's huge.

Skip to the next day, when we're taking our double decker bus tour and we're brought past all the monuments. At least three times on that tour I read or heard the following quote touted as an emblem of Washington, D.C. -- nay, of America, itself:

"We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Thomas Jefferson

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And yet, just a handful of miles from where that quote was being drilled over and over into my brain is a huge office building packed with people working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year to fight for the right for people to get married. It hurts my heart like weight of a thousand seas.



Congratulations, Connecticut. Well done.