The Wisdom of Whores

Good timing. I arrived in Washington DC as they admitted they’d underestimated the size of the city’s AIDS epidemic by half. I got to San Francisco the day that California allowed gay couples to marry. Hurrah for some sensible policies at last.

The San Francisco Chronicle has blanket coverage of the rush to get married, reporting euphoria on all sides. “

“It feels great. Lawful marriage to the perfect partner is paradise on earth,” said Hank Donat, one half of the first male couple to get married in San Francisco. His partner Jeffrey Halpern said: “This is legal and we’re equal but the most important thing is that I get to spend the rest of my life with the man I love.” I really hope it works out better for them than for the majority of straight couples who marry these days, many of whom find out that marriage is not always paradise. Whether or not it does, the fact that people who love one another can stand up before their family, friends and Gods and declare that love (and get the rights that go with that declaration) regardless of their gender is a wonderful thing.

I’m only slightly disappointed that our friends at the pro-family Traditional Values Coalition have yet to offer their congratulations to the many couples who will be made happy by this long-overdue law. Though as Mike Petrelis’s delighful account of the celebrations shows, there were no shortage of bigots on hand to try to dampen the day.