A Dear Friend Passes

I found out on Sunday that a dear friend Martin whom I have known since I moved to Fort Lauderdale passed away last week. He and his partner Jim of 58 years were a fixture at our Church - MCC Fort Lauderdale. I am reminded today because I spoke with Jim briefly this afternoon. He is understandably grief stricken and my heart goes out to him. Martin was a wonderful person and I am blessed to have known him. In the later part of his life he suffered from various health concerns but always kept a smile on his face. He and Jim never missed a Church service if they were able to attend. They are an inspiration to me and many others in their commitment to each other and to their community.

I hope I do honor to these two friends of mine by using this opportunity to voice an outrage in this country. It seems absolutely crazy to me that after all these years together in a committed relationship, these two were still not recognized as a legally married couple. If this is not marriage - I don't know what is. Of course these two men didn't need a legal document to share their life and love together but it really is important. Consider the following:

• Any hospital could deny them the right to see each other because they are not considered "next of kin"
• They can not claim each other on any tax documents
• Short of a will, neither has any legal claim to their partners property
• A family member of the deceased could legally take away any jointly owned property from the surviving partner.
• The list goes on and on.

These things can, and frequently do happen in long term gay relationships - and it's a shame. As Jim and Martin have shown, Marriage is way more than a legal document - but the document is important none the less. And these rights are "Legal" rights - not "Religious" rights. When it comes to legal rights - every American citizen should have EQUAL rights. That's all we ask.

Rest in peace my good friend Martin. You made a difference in this world - to me and many others.