30 years ago, I was 14. As I began to realize my sexuality, I was embarrassed and ashamed. Being gay meant being a pariah.
25 years ago, I was 19. Being gay meant AIDS, which meant a horrific sickness and death. Being gay meant I was terrified of sex.
20 years ago, I was 24. I knew who I was and had overcome many of my fears, but I could never imagine a world that would accept me. Being gay meant that I would always be different - an outsider.
12 years ago, I was 32. I was more confident, the world was more accepting. I fell in love, proposed, and we held a wedding that meant nothing to the world and everything to us. Being gay meant that my husband and I would always be second class citizens.
8 and a half years ago, my husband and I became fathers. Colorado passed one of the first second parent adoption laws, and we were one of the first to use it. Being gay meant that my husband and I were pioneers.
8 months ago, I was 43. My husband and I married in the eyes of the State of Colorado. Being gay meant we were equal in the Centennial State.
Today, I am 44. For the first time in my life, I, and everyone like me, can say that we are fully equal in the eyes of the law in every corner of this great country of ours. I'm not sure that my teen self, my young adult self, or even myself of ten years ago would have ever believed that this day would come. I feel so much joy and happiness today. This journey has been a long and difficult one, but in the end, like all journeys in love, it's been entirely worth it. Being gay means the exact same thing as being straight, and I couldn't be more thrilled!
Tonight, we shall have champagne!
