Psychoanalysts' Organization Backs Same-Sex Marriage

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid52659.asp

Baby shower advocacy

We are hosting a baby shower for A&C this Saturday and we wanted to include a little advocacy at the shower. A baby shower might not seem like the right place for advocacy, but when you live without rights like we do, you do advocacy whenever you can. Of course there will be cake and punch and games and everything that you would expect from a baby shower, but we thought we could put five minutes aside to send a letter to our legislators asking them to support marriage for A&C and all of the other families with children in MD that can't get married. We typed up a form letter and we're asking everyone at the party to sign five copies. Then after the party K & I will address them to the governor and the appropriate delegates and senator, stick in a picture from the party, and mail it away. Here's a copy of the letter:

Dear

I attended a baby shower today for my dear friends – A and C – who live in Greenbelt. They've known each other since they were young children, and after getting married in 2006, they are ready for the next step. I am so excited for them; they will be such wonderful parents! The shower was a lot of fun. I've included a picture from the party.

I am so excited for them, but I am bothered by the fact that they cannot get married and protect their family. It's one thing to be treated as a second-class citizen when you are a young couple with few worries, but it's another thing completely when your family expands.

A and C both grew up in Prince Georges County and they both have family there. They bought a home a few years ago in historic downtown Greenbelt, just down the street from C's parents, in a neighborhood C grew up in. They chose to live in downtown Greenbelt because of the community, thinking it would be a great place to raise their children, especially because the grandparents live so close and can play a big role in the children's lives.

They could move somewhere where same-sex marriage or civil unions are legal. In the past year, two couples they know have moved from PG County to Vermont for this reason. But by moving they would be leaving their family, friends, and community behind. It's sad that they have had to make a choice between providing protections for their family and living near their extended family. It shouldn't be a choice that a family has to make.

Please help bring peace of mind to my friends A, C, and the soon-to-be baby, and the other families in Maryland, by supporting the Marriage Protection and Religious Freedom Act.

Sincerely,

Lobbying for same-sex marriage

For the past few years the state of MD has been involved in a court case in which 9 couples sued the government for the right to marry. It took years, went through the various levels of court, and was finally decided a few months a go by one vote in the state supreme court that same-sex couples do not have a constitutional right to marry.

In response this year a bill has been introduced that would make same sex marriage legal. We went down with some members of our church to a large statewide rally in front of the capital building last night, and then met with our state senator and two of our three delegates. We are very lucky to live where we do. All of our delegates and our senator sponsor the bill. The lead sponsor in the senate is our senator Jamie Raskin and he is very outspoken on this issue. We basically went to thank them for their support. Friends of ours in more conservative counties didn't have it as easy. Our friends A and C, C who is big and pregnant, went into a few sessions with people that said, basically, to a pregnant woman, I'm sorry, I don't support you and your family. That sucks. So we're thankful for where we live, and for the people who represent us. And we're thankful for the people that lobby with delegates that are unfriendly.

According to our delegates and senator, we are close to being able to get this passed, at least as civil unions. I'd take civil unions. Hell, I'd take anything, which is more than what I've got now. But I don't have my hopes up. I let myself get too hopeful with the court case, and that just led to depression. So for now I'm just watching and hoping C and her big belly made an impact on someone important last night.

Juno

A few weeks ago we saw the movie Juno. Great movie, as everyone else has already said. I love Michael Cera. Afterwards, one of the friends we saw it with asked if movies about pregnancy seemed different now that I want to get pregnant. I said that no, teenage pregnancy had nothing to do with my life, so I didn't feel much. At least not now. Maybe that would be different if I was actually pregnant.

However, I do find myself gravitating to movies about pregnancy now more than I used to. Like Netflix recommended to me The Business of Being Born, crazily because I said that I liked the movie Cry Baby. That was a great movie. The scenes where Ricki Lake drank Johnny Depp's tears and where she licks the glass that separates them in prison stuck themselves forever in my 12-year-old mind. But somehow I think the audience for Cry Baby and The Business of Being Born are different. Maybe not. Maybe we've grown up and so has Ricki Lake. Anyway, I don't think this would have interested me previously, but now it's near the top of my queue. I also added some movies that I saw in friends' queues - Making Grace and Casa de los Babys. And if something else comes along, I'll probably add that too.

It's like when we were planning our wedding. I started watching all of those cheesy wedding planning shows on the Style network, and tearing up sometimes. Thank god for Logo and that short lived wedding show with Scott Thompson (my favorite Kid in the Hall), and for Bravo and the Gay Weddings series. After our wedding, those Style network shows had little appeal. But you get caught up. At least I do. K never found those shows interesting. I'm sure if we had cable now, I'd be watching Baby Stories on Discovery Health. I tried watching Notes from the Underbelly the other night. That show is horrible. That's what the insult "Television writing" means.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

When I first heard about that movie, I wrote it off as a stupid Adam Sandler movie mocking gay men. But this weekend my dad said that's the movie they have waiting for them at home from Netflix. Interesting that they can still laugh at gay people and be mad at me at the same time. Doesn't it hurt to laugh? I don't understand. Anyway, I wonder what message they will get from this film. I know that it is about domestic partnership and attempts social commentary about same-sex marriage. Maybe this crude, offensive humor is the only way to get the message off to people like my dad. Or maybe not, and it really is just crude and offensive.

I know my dad's politics are shifting liberal. He has made lots of comments about Bush and the war and economy and said that things were better when Clinton was president. My mom always looks angry, like she'd like to defend Bush but she's just a woman who doesn't like conflict so all she can do is scowl. But really, it doesn't matter because they don't vote, they just complain.

Same-sex Unions in MD

A new survey finds that the majority of Marylanders support marraige or civil unions for same-sex couples, according to an article in the Baltimore Sun. Yay for Maryland - let's make this happen before we expand our family.