Legal at home

     Shortly after noon today in Eugene, Federal Judge Michael McShane ruled that Oregon's ban on same- sex marriage violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution.
     Here is what he said about the four couples who are the plaintiffs:
     "All of the plaintiffs share in the characteristics that we would normally look to when we describe the ideals of marriage and family.  They present in the record as loving and committed couples who have established long-term relationships.  Each has solemnized that relationship in the presence of their family and friends. ...  Three of the four couples are parents, and are involved in their children's schools and activities.  They support each other financially and emotionally, and, by all accounts, their lives have become more meaningful in the single life they share together.
    All of these couples have worked in Oregon to support themselves and their children...Mr. Greiser is a teacher.  Mr. Rummel is a veteran of the United States Air Force. They pay taxes. They volunteer. They foster and adopt children who have been neglected and abused.  They are a source of stability to their extended families, relatives, and friends."
    He continues with a biting description of Oregon's marriage laws:
     "Despite the fact that these couples present so vividly the characteristics of a loving and supportive relations ship, none of these ideals we attribute to marriage are spousal prerequisites under Oregon law.  In fact, Oregon recognizes a marriage of love with the same eye that it recognizes a marriage of convenience. It affords the same rights and privileges to Tristan and Isolde that it affords to a Hollywood celebrity waking up in Las Vegas with a blurred memory and a ringed finger.  It does not, however, afford these very same rights to gay and lesbian couples who wish to marry within the confines of our geographic borders."
     He ends his opinion with an appeal to the  higher natures of potential critics:  "Where will all this lead? I know that many suggest we are going down a slippery slope that will have no moral boundaries.  To those who truly harbor such fears, I can only say this:  Let us look less to the sky to see what might fall; rather, let us look to each other, and rise."
    Gay marriage is finally legal in Oregon.  For Judy and me, it means that our marriage cannot be taken away by popular vote ever again.
     Same-sex couples began lining up outside marriage license offices early this morning, in anticipation of the judge's ruling.  As soon as it was announced, they got their licenses, found officiants, and exchanged vows.   Portland Mayor Charlie Hales officiated at several weddings.
     One newlywed said, "Now I feel like a real American, a legal American, after all these years."