Those Two Little Words May Be Coming To South Carolina

There I was, at home this morning, getting a list of things that we need for our trip to Washington; money for the license, money for the judge; money; something nice to wear when I say ‘I do.’

And I started thinking, again. Is this going to change our relationship? I mean, we’ve been chugging along really nicely for almost fourteen years without putting a ring on it, and so does this matter? Two little words?

They do; I do. Yes, I matter; and Carlos matters. And I want to be able to say to people “This is my husband Carlos” not “This is my partner/boyfriend/lover [ick]/domestic partner.”

Husband. So it does matter, and I am getting ready and I am getting excited, and then I check this interwebz thing and I see that just this morning the United States Supreme Court began its fall session, and in one of its first decisions, have announced it will not take up any of the same-sex marriage cases from the five states it was presented; not Utah; not Oklahoma; not Virginia, Indiana, or Wisconsin.

And this little announcement, this SCOTUS basically saying these cases don’t matter, and mean nothing, means that those lower court rulings will go into effect for all same-sex marriage cases, making same-sex marriage legal in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

I was stunned, and then I saw Virginia on that list. Virginia is huge for us in South Carolina because one of those appeals was filed by the Fourth Circuit Court, and that court also hears cases in South Carolina, including our own Will of the People Fund-raising case, Bradacs v. Nikki Haley.

So, it looks like same-sex marriage will become legal in eleven more states, by virtue of them being in federal circuit court regions, and one of those states is ours.

South-freaking-Carolina. Let me say that again: South-freaking-Carolina! 

And the other states under the jurisdiction of appeals courts that struck down the bans include North Carolina, West Virginia, South Carolina, Wyoming, Kansas and Colorado, meaning the number of states where marriage equality lives will likely jump from 19 to 30!

Thirty.

Now, there is a caveat, as always; SCOTUS could take up a same-sex marriage case in the future if a Court of Appeals rules a state’s marriage ban is constitutional, but no appeals court has ever made that ruling to date, so it appears cautiously unlikely that it will happen.

So, does this mean I’m unpacking? Am I gonna put the judges cash, and the licensing cash in the bank? No. We are still going to Washington because there is no word yet on when marriage becomes legal here, and we want to be married on what will be our fourteenth anniversary, October 17, and we want my Dad to be there, almost as much as he wants to be there himself.

But, but, this means that sometime, maybe before the end of the year, we can be married in our own backyard; or , if it’s cold outside, maybe under a Christmas tree.

I look fabulous wrapped in a bow!

I do!

PS Those are our wedding rings up there.