In Honor of Pride Month

There was a time when I thought marriage rights were not my issue.  I am a heterosexual man, who grew up in San Francisco with acceptance of all people.  I was neither for nor against marriage rights. 

In 2006, I was standing next to my now wife at the wonderful home of my friend Cabell Chinnis.  I remember listening to a gay couple, who wanted the same rights that I took for granted.  The ability to marry the person next to me.  

This couple helped me understand that this was not a gay rights issue, but a human rights issue.  I lost track of that couple, but my wife and I have been married for more than 15 years now.  A wonderful thing. 

My Mintz partner Bill Weld was quicker on the uptake.  As Governor of Massachusetts in 1992(!), Governor Weld became the first governor to recognize same-sex couples.  This was brave.  He was heckled at his own party’s national convention that year in Houston. 

Now, 7 in 10 Americans call themselves supporters of marriage equality, according to data from Gallup. 

As Governor Weld says in the linked article, “America is a forward-looking country.” 

We have made progress, but we have to keep working hard for the rights of all humans; not just those of us in the majority.