Gay marriage in DC approved: and I am glad

I shold be celebrating. As a gay man, I am glad the authorities of Washington, DC, where I live for over a decade, have passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. It's something I support not because I want to get married, not right now at least but because I believe that every person should have the same rights, regardless of our differences. The legal option should be there.

Thanks to this law, future generations of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender residents of Washington, DC, will have the choice to build a stable life along with the person they love, or whomever they want to sign a legal contract of this nature with. It's a legal contract after all, this is not just about love and straight people know this very well.

Had I had this chance when I was younger, perhaps I would have settled down long time ago. I would not have exposed myself to risky behavior and casual relationships, because I knew I had known that being gay didn't mean to be a person with limited rights. This is something that many people don't see unless you live it.

Some years ago I met the first man I had intimacy with, and because of the way I was raised I thought that he was going to date me afterwards. Little I knew that for most gay men in DC, long time relationships are not the main goal when meeting someone. This year I ended a weird friendship, relationship that put me through so much abuse and stress.

It's not that most gay men can't fall in love or make serious committments, but in the back of our minds the option of staying in a relationship had no point. At least that has been my case. Had I know that we gay men could one day have the legal option to marry, just perhaps I would have never exposed myslef to situations that I wish to no one.

Laws are created to promote better living conditions for people, that's how it should be. In the case of same-sex marriage, I hope that it will promote better relationships and living standards for LGBT communities in DC, and the communities that will follow.

So I am glad today, for those who are ready to marry and for those that come after us. For some reason though, I'm not celebrating.

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