Are We There Yet? (And until we get there - please don't take my stuff!)

We now have rights and legal protection in 1/5 th of this country.

Contrary to the beliefs that many citizens of the United States of America hold to be true, the good ole USofA is by far NOT the most advanced country in the world.  When I go into battle, I am not weak enough or back-handed enough to have in my arsenal only one trump card.  I might not be the sharpest tool in the workshop, but please give this ole boy credit where credit is due.  I can fight this particular battle with any one of many players in this chess game of life in the ole USA.  The USA is less-than-desirable ranks in Education, crime, equal rights, some healthcare, and the list of areas that the United States of America falls FAR behind can be quite lengthy.

(One more interesting tidbit is that there are 192 - 195 countries on this Earth.  123 of them are democratic societies.  The United States of America is *1* of that 123, not the only 1.)

Thankfully, there are some of us in this country that are willing to fight to tell others that they have no right and no authority to govern or judge how or who another person legally attaches themselves to.  It's really much more than being about 'union', people.
  
Many people would be homeless or in serious financial difficulty if the supporting partner dies first - because no benefits are awarded.

We can be kept out of hospital rooms because we are not 'next of kin'. (To that I say: Go ahead and try it, security guards.  I know where a good set of nuts are, and I have at least one good foot that is faster than any mouse trap you've ever seen.)

That individual might also find their home EMPTY if they don't stand at the door and guard it with a gun, because the deceased partner's family can very well and very easily strip the home of possessions and memories that both partners worked for years to build and establish.

(Trust me when I tell you that BOTH Mark and myself have relatives that are willing and able, and in fact, 'chomping at the bit' to do this very thing to the surviving partner.  If we have such less-than-moral relatives, so do other gay couples.)

We have come a long way, and we have 4/5 of this journey yet to complete.  We must be protected financially and legally to avoid the idiots that are lurking just out of the limelight.

- Michael