Well done, NY!

From:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/nyregion/gay-marriage-approved-by-new-york-senate.html?_r=2&hp

But Mr. Grisanti, a Buffalo Republican who opposed gay marriage when he ran for election last year, said he had studied the issue closely, agonized over his responsibility as a lawmaker, and concluded he could not vote against the bill. Mr. Grisanti voted yes. "I apologize for those who feel offended," he said. "I cannot deny, a person, a human being, a taxpayer, a worker, the people of my district and across this state, the State of New York, and those people who make this the great state that it is, the same rights that I have with my wife."

And that, my friends, is the very point. If we truly believe, as is written in our Constitution, in the separation of Church and State, the way forward is clear. Baring one section of the population the right to marry while allowing it for another is no different than denying women the right to vote due to their gender, or African Americans due to their race. We gave all citizens over the age of 18 - regardless of race or gender - the right to vote a long time ago.
Now, it is time to let them marry whom they wish. While it is well within the rights of the Church to bar the sacrament of marriage to whomever they deem unfit (for whatever reason and however distasteful I find it), it is not a power the state should have.

I can only hope all states follow what Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, DC, and now NY have started. I've been happily married to my husband for nearly 6 years, and I cannot imagine a life in which the government prevented our union. I am thankful for him every day, and hope this new bill in NY paves the way the happiness of many other couples.