Gay Marriage: Who Needs It
Jason Kuznicki on Jul 7th 2004
A new lawsuit is afoot that seeks gay marriage in Maryland.
Scott and I spoke with the ACLU back when this lawsuit was still in the formative stages. They were looking for couples who were both Maryland residents and greatly in need of the benefits that marriage provides.
They asked us a lot of things.
–How long we’ve been together? Six years.
–What are your incomes? We’re comfortable, thanks.
–Health care? We both have adequate coverage.
–Any serious health problems? None.
–Any kids? Not yet.
–Both U.S. citizens? Yes.
In other words, we were sub-optimal candidates.
I do know one couple, however, who has had a great deal of difficulty because they can’t get married. My friend is in a committed relationship with a man who is not a U.S. citizen. They’ve been together for several years and are quite serious about making a life together.
Even the most stalwart nativist would have a hard time rejecting this guy. He’s perfectly fluent in English. He’s trained as a nurse, a profession where there is currently a shortage. He has a steady job, and–given the shortage–it can’t reasonably be argued that he’s taking the job away from a native. He’s even white, as if that should matter.
Lastly, he’s also from the former Yugoslavia. I’ve known several gay people from that part of the world, and frankly I don’t blame them for wanting to leave it: Attitudes about gay people are terrible over there.
Clearly, my friend’s partner is a keeper. America has long had a tradition of welcoming those who want to make a better life for themselves, especially if they’re smart, responsible, willing to work, and persecuted in their native countries.
Despite all of these reasons–some valid, some less so–for allowing him to stay in the U.S., my friend’s partner faced a possible deportation. A straight couple would have done the obvious: They’d have gotten married, and the problem would have disappeared.
My friend had to rely on the whims of a bureaucracy to keep his relationship together. Fortunately–I shudder to say “happily”–the bureaucracy ended up making the right decision. But it was a matter that should never have been theirs to decide, and it’s just one more reason why America really does need gay marriage.
Filed in The Basement