Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Blogging for LGBT Families Day, BMG Edition

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It was fascination at first sight as we exchanged stories of our lives as researchers, she studying the intricate wonders of protein biochemistry and I the nutritional requirements of a molluscivorous fish.  We both did a great job of monopolizing each other’s time on that beautiful day. đŸ˜€  Four years later, we became a family.  Today our family consists of us, a father, a mother, a step mother, two brothers and sister, two sisters in law and one sister-in-law in waiting, a brother-in-law, seven nieces and nephews, four step-bothers and their families, numerous cousins, aunts and uncles, and many enduring friends.

One of the happiest days of my life was going to meet my mother-in-law for the first time.  She threw opened the front door, gave me a big hug and kiss, and simply said “Welcome to the family!”  As we later learned, she was so happy and relieved that her daughter had finally found someone who really made her happy.  I have been deliriously happy at getting to have a mom again, as mine passed away over 15 years ago.

I tell my personal story here today because I believe that the best way for LGBT people and their allies to achieve LGBT social parity and realize equal protection of the laws is to be out and just as loved by and vital to their families as anyone else.

What’s your family look like?

h/t Pam Spaulding

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Comments

  1. you need to stop self-segregating by using words like “partner”.  

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    p>She’s your wife, Laurel.

    • in effect she is my wife, but legally we are registered domestic partners.  i have not segregated us, my state and federal governments have.  sometimes i do use the term wife, but not when i want to draw attention to the fact that we’re actually still being forced into sub-citizenship.

          • I know very few Republicans my age (I’m 21) who are adamantly anti-marriage equality.  like 95% i know either don’t care either way or are okay with it.

              • Joe is probably telling the truth, but I think it will be a long while before it reflects in the party.  

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                p>I probably read too much RMG, but the populace over there, young and old, is decidedly anti-equality.  I’ve yet to see one remotely pro-gay rights poster there who wasn’t ripped to shreds by wavemaker, et al.  They’ve even welcomed former BMG resident wing-nut John Howard.  

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                p>Don’t forget that Rob Willington, the new Mass. GOP Executive Director, was behind the Vote on Marriage petition.  Or that the Citizens for Limited Taxation folks were frequent visitors on the MassResistance radio show.  The CLT folks may be getting a little long in the tooth, but the Margolis brothers are in their late 20s and Willington and EaBo are in their late 30s.

                • Matt and Aaron are still out there spewing bile via HubPolitics.  They’ve even joined forces with the ever homophobic (and also young) DR Tucker to bash Deval 24×7.

                • that is, lgbt-positive people being too afraid to speak up and out and stake their claim to the 14th amendment.  i’m pretty sure that shying away from perceived potential social censure (e.g spinelessness) isn’t the sole domain of republicans.  although they do have a more severe case of it, no doubt about it. đŸ˜‰

                • Ryan Sorba is touring the country speaking on the subject of the “Born Gay Hoax” with the express goal of re-criminalizing  sodomy and outlawing gay marriage.

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                  p>He’s speaking almost entirely to college Republican groups.

                • Interest in him by Mass CR groups hasn’t been very strong.  I’m aware of one speaking engagement in Mass he did, and rather than on-campus liberals respectfully dismembering his argument, which would be easy, they dressed up in costumes and bashed pots and pans and basically made themselves looked like a bunch of uneducated idiots.  If they wanted conservatives to have no respect for them or their right to exist, they certainly achieved that goal with such a show.

                • The point is that he’s touring young conservative groups, and they appear to be very receptive to what is fundamentally a message of hate. It’s a refutation to your claim that Republicans your age don’t care.  

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                  p>I’ve seen the video of what happened at Smith and don’t recall any costumes.  I do remember Massresesitance advertising it with the message “In Your Face Smith Liberals!”  I agree that it’s unfortunate that the Smithies gave him the fight he was looking for.

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                  p>Smith was his second speaking engagement, BTW. The first was at Framingham state and went without incident.  Both events were co-sponsored by MassResistance.

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                  p>Here’s a decent discussion of whether the Smith reaction was a good one:

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                  p>http://massresistancewatch.blo…

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                  p>Here’s some background on Mr. Sorba and his agenda:

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                  p>http://massresistancewatch.blo…

                • They have had some contentious spats about RMG abandoning the marriage issue as being too toxic, and also not wanting to rule out genetic engineering or preserve marriage’s right to conceive.  There are some there that are anti-SSM, and some that are anti-GE too, but at least at the top, they are trying to be pretty Weldian on this issue.  Or maybe Cellucian, or even Swiftian.  I think the think Romney was too anti-SSM for them (irony, since he was the one who enacted it).

                • Here’s a recent discussion of SSM on RMG, started by Mr. Howard.  The lone person pointing out John’s logical fallacies is a visiting BMGer:

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                  p>http://redmassgroup.com/showDi…

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                  p>Patrick does try point out that it’s a toxic issue, but all other posts are very supportive.  Wavemaker even slaps down Patrick.

                • Republicans, in Massachusetts as elsewhere, have become little more than the Torture a Gay Immigrant for Jesus party.

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                  p>I heartily hope that they suffer their worst defeat since 1932 this November.  Not because I will be particularly thrilled with the empowering of Democrats– I will not– but because the GOP must be crushed before it can become something worthy of its name once again.

  3. What with the vitriolic political plume that seems to hover over blogs these days, it’s nice to read some personal information about real people whose names have become familiar.  Your story is valuable (as well as moving), and you deserve some thanks for being willing to share it here.  

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