Defense of DOMA doesn't defend me.

I'm married to a man, and I'm a woman. Yep. I have a nice legal, heterosexual marriage. And I don't think my marriage loses anything from other people having their marriage legally accepted as having all the rights that mine includes.

I can put my spouse on my employer-offered insurance. If my spouse wasn't legally a citizen, our marriage would help him stay here. I can be his advocate if he's in the hospital and can't do for himself. And he can do that for me. As atheists, should either of us pass on, we both have certain qualms about letting certain of our family members choose our manner of sending-out--even though we know we won't be there to see if we are sent out with a dignified remembrance, or roof-raising prayers. But I would see that godless goodbye through for my beloved, and he'd do the same for me. If we found ourselves with issue, we could each count on the other to raise little Strangely Jr. the way we'd want to see him or her come up.

And my gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered brothers and sisters, I think you are entitled to the same, in everything, including name. And the b.s. case-law the DOMA defense broken down right here by Americablog's Avarosis shows--is outmoded by custom and the popular demand. And just in time for our reminiscense of the Loving decision:



We get to remember that sometimes reality breaks through custom. And if we always settle for the laws that were precedent, then, why, we'd still have cases about the rights of slave-owners. We'd still be satisfied that maybe gay folks could have something separate--but equal. And the last half-century, I think we know how civil rights claims would go (and don't even get me started about DADT and civil rights, as recently expressed by my dear old target McCain) regarding things separate, but equal. We'd remember "Love is the Law".

The Obama Administration is failing to be a hero on this account. Maybe they want to present a lame case to see it fail, to get the bigotry=fail meme on the books, but I'd rather they not insult us all and maybe vigorously defend the ....plaintiff.

Oh no, wait...DOMA is the law right now?

Defend it to the point of failure, my legally gifted Obama administration, but when it fails, let it fail big. And don't forget to proclaim, when it does fail, that the matter of states right's can't prevail in this issue any more than it did over African-American kids' education--you see what I mean? Even if guards have to escort couples to the altar--

We shall overcome. And Adam and Steve, and Mary and Carrie, and every other happy couple, gets to be as happy as me. And that's how I'd like it.