David and Sam get married

Posted by Keith Berner on washingtonpost.com:

"I’m thankful to live next to Washington in a year when Republicans didn't control Congress and its power to override D.C. laws. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to attend last weekend’s wedding of David and Sam – dear friends who have been a couple for 12-ish years, about the same as my wife and me. What a fabulous wedding, from the ceremony, to the ambiance, to the luscious food! The utter joy of the event was transcendent.

"And that is what a wedding ought to be. But could not have been – for these two people – in most other places at most other times.

"There has been so much pain just recently: bullying and suicides and beatings, not to mention outrageous political pronouncements. But justice for gays and lesbians will not be stopped. If nothing else, the rise of a gay-tolerant generation of young people will ensure that.

"In the meantime, even for David and Sam the struggle for justice isn’t over. Sam is Korean. He’s been in the United States for years, under student and employment visas. But David can’t sponsor Sam’s permanent residency in this country because the federal government doesn’t recognize their marriage. A lost job for Sam could cost this loving couple the right to live in the same country.

"Sadly, the prospects for marriage equality aren’t so bright in Maryland. This state may look very blue in some ways, but political power resides with social conservatives ... I’d wager it will take six years for Maryland to catch up to D.C. on this one. It would probably take longer still if Maryland didn’t have D.C.’s good (and demystifying) example right next door."

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