So, it's finally official. In a few weeks the Canadian government is going to put a bill in front of our parliament making gay and lesbian marriages legal.

Not civil unions. Marriage. Real marriage. The churches are free to decide whether or not they want to grant a religious ceremony, but if the legislation passes, then civil marriage will be available.

All I can say is that It's About Freakin' Time. Good Lord, if we straight people have had to suffer through marriage for eons, it's only fair that the homos know the same pain.

(Excuse me, I just need to grab my soapbox here, drag it to center stage and climb on board. *Insert annoying scraping sound.*)

There.

As I see it, this all boils down to a question of civil rights. A person is born gay or lesbian, just as they are born with, say, blue eyes, curly hair or black skin. If you deny someone the right to marry because of their sexual orientation, then you're discriminating against them as much as if you said, "Hey, you can't get married because your skin is black."

Excuse me? Excuuuuuse me?

Marriage isn't about your genitalia. I mean, when you take your marriage vows the official doesn't say, "Do you, vagina, take this penis to be your lawfully wedded spouse?" Uh, no.

And let's face it, marriage is not just about love or sex, either, although the words, "Oh, Lordy, just looking at you makes my pee pee swell" most definitely play a part there. As I see it, marriage is about so very much more than that. It is an emotional, social, business and sometimes religious undertaking.

Marriage is two people standing up in public and saying, "This person. I will stick by this person no matter what, until one of us croaks". In return for making this insane promise, society gives married people special rights.

Many, many gay and lesbian couples have been living within the boundaries of what most of us would call marriage for a very long time. It's a tough thing to do, to be married--to promise someone that you'll be with them in sickness or in health, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, forsaking all others, until death do you part--WHAT WAS I THINKING WHEN I PROMISED THAT?

If you're going to be live within those kind of constraints, then you should be given the bonuses society confers for doing that. I mean, the law treats you differently if you're married. You're next of kin and that gives you many special rights. Off the top of my head I can come up with:

If your partner gets sick and is in the hospital, you're automatically allowed in the room. Ask "longtime companions" of folk who died in the first wave of AIDS how they were treated when their partners entered the hospital. Vengeful families could and did have access barred.

If your partner dies before you, marriage means that whatever you've built together in a financial sense is acknowledged. You don't have to worry about your home and possessions being snatched away by your partner's family.

If your marriage doesn't work out, then you have the same protections that every other divorcing couple has.

I'm sure any one of you can think of more special rights marriage brings.

Now before we start dancing in the street here over this bill, there's an important fact I want to stress. This is just a bill. It is NOT passed. And the government has said it will leave all its members free to vote their consciences.

Consciences? Politicians? Uh oh.

If you are Canuckistani, as I am, it is very, very important that you contact your Member of Parliament (MP) and let him/her know where you stand on this, eh.

This is a controversial issue, and if there's one thing that scares politicians, it's a controversy. They want to side with the majority because they want to be re-elected. If, like me, you support this legislation, you have to let your MP know that. A polite e-mail or letter telling your MP that you are a voter and that you support this bill will count.

For once, you've got the power.

Feels good, doesn't it?

--Marn

Mileage on the Marnometer: 313.13 miles (503.8 kilometers)
Goal for 2003: 500 miles - 804.5 kilometers