7.0: Prelude to the LGBTQ Rights Movement

Last updated
Save as PDF

Page ID: 68363

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

Personal Story

We were married at 6:08 pm on Friday, June 28, 2013 live on the Rachel Maddow Show. Our four-plus year journey to the altar lasted a whopping six minutes. With two words we became EQUAL. Our lives forever changed. What did saying “I do” mean? You have heard about the rights… over 1,100 of them that are denied people who cannot marry. Those are extremely important to the safety and security of gay and lesbian couples.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): On June 28, 2013, we were the first couple in Los Angeles to get married after the United States Supreme Court held our opponents did not have the legal standing to overturn same-sex marriage in California. It was very important for us to get married as soon as it was legal. We had been part of a lawsuit to reinstate same-sex marriage in California for almost 4 ½ years. We had waited long enough.

But do you know what we were most excited about? The access to the language. We couldn’t wait to say the words “married” and “husband.” These words have true meaning. They are recognized globally. People know what they mean. Our old nicknames for each other have changed. It’s now, “husband” this and “husband” that. We can’t wait to introduce each other as “husband,” sometimes, even to people who already know us because we just want to say the word. We can say unequivocally, “Being married feels different.” Look, after 12 plus years together, the day to day hasn’t changed much but the feelings have. The love is deeper. The level of commitment is stronger. Our relationship is truly one bond now. We walk taller. We feel prouder. We feel EQUAL.

– Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo