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In 332 days, Lisa and I will be married…again.

Why you ask? Well, let me see if I can try to make some sense here (which for me can sometimes be a difficult undertaking).

On July 5, 2001 we traveled to Vermont and entered into a Civil Union, which at the time was the closest we could get to being married. Allstate insurance company recognized the Civil Union as an “insurable interest” where our automobile policies were concerned but other than that, the Civil Union gave us no legal relationship to each other.

Following the lead of Mayor Gavin Newsom out in San Francisco, New Paltz (NY) mayor Jason West solemnized a dozen or so same-sex marriages, believing he was upholding the oath of his office by treating everyone equally. Two weeks later, on March 13 (2004) Lisa and I were married by a Unitarian Universalist minister. Two days after that, the UU ministers that performed those marriages were charged for illegally solemnizing those marriages. As a side note, some time later after the charges were dismissed, an anti-gay “Christian” group tried to get those marriages legally overturned but no court has yet done that. That marriage granted us no legal relationship either, since it was not recognized by the state, nor was the paperwork accepted for filing.

In July of 2004 Lisa and I traveled to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and, on July 5 (the 3rd anniversary of our Vermont Civil Union) we were legally married in Canada. While that marriage bestowed a specific legal relationship between the two of us, we had to literally “check the marriage at the border” when we re-entered the US.

After a three year court battle, we won same-sex marriage recognition for all legally married couples in New York State. This victory was decided based on the concept of “comity,” which in its simplest form is the recognition of valid marriages from one country by another. This court decision granted not only legal recognition of our relationship, but more than 1200 rights in New York State as well.

Now that same-sex marriage is up and running in New York, Lisa and I want to pursue a legal marriage right here in New York because, with the way things are going in this country with the Patriot Act, we fear that it could be a matter of time before the principle of “comity” becomes negated. In order to secure our marriage and all it’s rights and responsibilities, we feel it prudent to enter into marriage, legally, right here at home.

So, save the date: July 5, 2012 (yes, the 11 year anniversary of our Civil Union and the 8 year anniversary of our Canadian marriage). More information will be coming out but, for now, keep checking back here for updates and links to other places where you can get information on what we’re doing.

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