Going to the chapel

I read this morning that Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, are going to form a civil partnership in England on Wednesday. John expressed joy that he was able to make this kind of commitment to Furnish, and vice versa, and was quoted as saying that he wished other gays could also take this step, and that he felt sorry for the many others in countries that prohibit such unions (cough-cough, U.S.). I'll tell you something: I feel bad for the people not allowed to marry, or make a commitment on that level with the people they love because their countries prohibit it, too.
I remember several years ago, talking with a friend who had been in a long-standing homosexual relationship, and us discussing the fact that these two people, no matter how much they loved each other, could not marry. It's a shame really, that such rampant prejudice, on a governmental level, still exists (of course, all kinds of prejudice still exists, but let's focus on this for now). Nothing makes a gay person any different in the eyes of the law: they pay taxes, they hold jobs and own property, they are members of their community, they serve in the military, they vote. Because of that, they should be able to marry whoever they want.
Opponents say that a gay marriage cheapens the sanctity of marriage. I say it strengthens it. If you look at a majority of the monogamous gay relationships, so many have lasted longer than any heterosexual relationship. Look around, and you'll see several man/woman marriages that cheapen the relationship more than any gay couple could.
There are only one or two things in this world that really make me want to live in another society, and in another time. The acceptance of a gay partnership in England makes me want to be there, and pay my taxes there, rather than here, where the government treats a portion of its population differently by not allowing them the right to spend their lives with someone, and make a legal commitment to each other, as it does others.
I do have confidence in the people of the United States on this though. I believe that the anti-gay marriage movement will eventually cease to exist. It will take years, a shift in the country's overall demographic, and new and open-minded politicians. These changes are already happening, too. Massachusetts and Vermont have begun the slow turnaround by allowing civil unions, and granting marriage certificates. Someday, everyone who wants to get married will be able to. I just hope that I am alive to see it.