To the Editor:

While Matt Surface’s tongue-in-cheek commentary (Is That All There Is?) brought a smile to my face, I feel it’s important that we reflect on the six-word change in Connecticut’s marriage licenses he bemoans.

Frankly, the powers that be within the state bureaucracy should be praised for the efficiency with which they implemented the historic, court-mandated six-word change. A few years ago, shortly after Canada legalized same-gender marriage, a gay male couple with whom I’m acquainted happened to be vacationing there.

Given the absence of a residency requirement for marriage within that country, they decided to get married. as it turns out, paperwork lagged behind the law and one of the two was listed on the marriage license as “wife.”

Additionally, Connecticut should be pleased to have avoided the state of legal limbo which has befallen so many loving, same-sex couples in California. The son of one of my Richmond PFLAG colleagues, residing in San Francisco, now stands in danger of having his marriage rescinded by state mandate a second time. I’d like the religious right to explain to me how exactly he and his partner are a danger to marriage!

Now that victory has been achieved in Connecticut’s quest for marriage equality, I urge Love Makes a Family to work towards the goal of trans-inclusive non-discrimination legislation on the state level.

On a purely selfish level,  they should also ally with New York State (as well as Maine, since they seem to be closing in on that goal), to aid the effort to extend the benefits of same-sex marriages to both of those locations. My lover and I have decided that, following victory in New York, we’ll head to Duchess county for our wedding.

Kenneth C. Decker
Richmond, VA