A friend of ours sent the letter below to a committee member of the Vermont Legislature to ask for his support of S.115 - Equal Marriage - The Freedom to Marry.
I have copied it below for you to read. It is an amazing letter and one that touches me so deeply. There is a final vote tomorrow and then perhaps we will have equal rights under the law! Stay tuned....
Thank you for your continued support of S.115. I am grateful for your thoughtfulness and sense of perspective at a time when there are many blinded by personal and religious beliefs.
Equal rights under the law should not be subject to the personal or religious beliefs of the governor, legislators or constituents. They have been in the past and continue to be now, but it is in the complex beauty of our democracy that we learn and grow, that we recognize the distinction between individual beliefs and individual rights.
Last night my husband and I were finishing up dinner with our 3 boys (the youngest is not yet 3 weeks old) when we were surprised by a knock on our front door. Our friends Anna and Judy had come by with their 2 boys with ice cream to celebrate the birth of our youngest. As we chatted in our dining room I was struck (as I often am) by the beautiful energy of this family, their kindness and grace. They have been impacted harshly by the downturn in the economy and here they were offering their support to our family with our new addition. Anna and Judy have been together longer than my husband and I, which means over a decade. We were invited to their civil union several years ago and in that chapel overlooking Lake Champlain I wept. Witnessing these two women who had already been through so much together, who already knew the challenges of being in a long term relationship, who knew how stressful parenting could be, commit themselves to each other publicly, in the eyes of their family, friends and God was overwhelming. When I married my husband we had been together for a year and a half and we were still in the heady stage of every new relationship. I knew how much I loved this man, but I had no idea what lay in store for us over the coming years. I had no way of knowing how hard marriage would be, even though we have emotional and financial resources. Marriage is not for the faint of heart, it is unbelievably challenging and complex even as it comforting and inspiring. For these women to be making their vows to each other with the full knowledge of how hard they would have to work, and how much of society is still stacked against them, made me weep in joy and awe.
But their civil union does not protect them or their children the way my marriage protects me, my husband and our boys. Please help legislators to recognize that the role of the state is to protect Anna and Judy as fully as it protects me and Wayne. Individual churches are welcome to discriminate, to refuse to marry couples based on whatever prejudices they may have, however it is the role of the state to ensure equal recognition and protections for us all.
Thank you and please let me know if there is anything I can do to help!
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