Indignation on Vacation

There's a lot to be happy about here on our vacation--the fabulous bloggy playdate, great fireworks in Our Capital, good food with good friends, and the escalators in the ritzy hotel where Politica's conference is being held. And did I mention the swirly door on said ritzy hotel? What more does a vacation-with-four-year-old need? Curious Girl is just so happy with this combination of sight-seeing, visits with friends old and new, and tons of time with her mothers.

So whence the indignation? The New York State Court of Appeals ruled against the couples suing for the right to marry under the NY constitution (well, they didn't say the constitution forbids same-sex marriage, just that it was a right for the legislature to decide, and that there are rational arguments that would permit the legislature to limit marriage to heterosexual marriage). Those rational arguments are all about the children. The majority opinion notes that it could be a reasonable argument to say that children are better off raised by a mother and a father, that "intutition" says children could do better seeing models of men and women daily.

So under this line of reasoning, would it be OK to restrict marriage to fertile heterosexuals? The court's way of thinking presupposes that straight people get married, and then they have children. What about the children who are living in families with two moms or two dads? The state does have, and should have, a strong interest in protecting the rights of children. But children like my daughter deserve the state's protection too, and one way in which Curious Girl's life would be very much legally protected is if the state allowed her mothers to wed legally. She's a delightful, flexible, loving and generous child, and one of the biggest problems in her little life is the continued threat posed by anti-gay initiatives, some of which could legally destroy our family.

Mombian shares my indignation; The Republic of T has a nice set of quick links to other writing on the ruling. I agree with Terrance (at R of T) that in the end, marriage equality will come to the US. Someday. But probably not very soon, maybe not even in my lifetime. And as I watch my daughter doing ballet on the windowsill stage here in our hotel, I get very tired of waiting for the inevitable. I want the state to protect my child now.

Happy vacation blogging coming soon (with playdate photos), but first, some indignation.