Marriage Matters: Sharing Our Stories

Jennifer Lin and Jeanne Fong, a real estate appraiser, have been together for 12 1/2 years. For them, fighting for marriage equality is something they do for their family identity.

"The more that we are visible, the more that we are showing our community that we are here, we are about love, that we're committed, loving couples," said Jeanne, who married Jennifer at San Francisco City Hall in 2004. "We'll eventually be so mainstream, it will not be a big deal."

"Marriage is the epitome of how you start the family. By way of marriage, Jeanne becomes a sister-in-law and daughter-in-law to my family members. It's a basic building block of family. From a very early age you are conditioned to get married," said Lin, who is an architect by day, a standup comic by night, and a political activist in whatever spare time she has left.

The couple had to designate a durable power of attorney for health care and death funeral planning. They are in the process of working with a lawyer to do a living trust for their joint assets and properties. These are among the rights and responsibilities that come with marriage. Taken as a whole, marriage law reveals a social consensus about how to fairly treat two people who voluntarily pledge to care for each other and their children at life's extremes.

Read through other families' stories here:

• Carmen and Anisia Machado
• Denise and Treeva Liggett-Creek
• Shelley Hayes and Mary Horvath
• Terri Miller and Cindy Simms
• Mark McKinney and Steve Lepre
• Jennifer Lin and Jeanne Fong
• Lori and Cin Diné
• Gita Deane and Lisa Polyak
• Nigel Simon and Alvin Williams
• Jo Rabb and Takia Foskey
• Lisa Laurey and Toni Williamson
• Richard Phelps and Mitchell Wood
• Desiree Leone and Carolee Stoll
• Barry Clayton and Michael Garaza
• Stephanie Furness and Shannon Kearns
• Charles Blackburn and Glen Dehn
• Delia Meraz and Persephone Gonzalez
• Amorie Robinson and Hattie Alexander-Robinson