Destruction of Family

There is an inherent problem with the logic that legally recognizing same-sex couples will lead to the further destruction of the American family. Those who believe this assume that these families do not already exist; when in fact, they do. Recognizing same-sex parented families does not do anything to create these families, they already exist. It would provide stabilization and protection for the families that do already exist.

The only thing that it might do to create families is finally provide some sort of verification of the lives of those of us who feel like second class citizens. We in same-sex committed relationships are constantly being bombarded with messages and images telling us that we are not deserving of each other. This imagery comes from both the gay and straight media.

When coming out of the closet (in spite of many advances) we are still told that our relationships will amount to nothing. Something that many straight allies don't understand or appreciate is how much support they have for their marriages and relationships from the world as a whole. This network of support does not yet exist in the GLBT community. I hope that perhaps with some sort of recognition and acknowledgment of our relationships and validation of our existence, some day it will.