I totally lifted this from Facebook.

The end of June was huge for the United States with the Supreme Court of the United States ending the Defence of Marriage Act and putting a stop to the Proposition 8 challenge, for now.

With this, it opened up marriage again in California for many same-sex couples.

One of these couples includes our friends Dave and Mark.

As a result of these changes – July 20th, 2013 is their wedding day. Mark and Dave have been together for about the same amount of time as Scott and I have.

This is also huge for Dave and Mark as it reduces the worries about Mark staying in the United States.  With DOMA being thrown out, it means Mark, a Canadian citizen, can apply to stay in the United States permanently.  This is a couple that has one less worry about whether or not Mark will be allowed to stay in the US.  They still have the green card process to get through, but it should be considerably easier now that their relationship is recognised.

Couples, families, have less worries about being torn apart because their relationships are now recognized.  They’re no longer invisible.  And writing this has me tearing up. *GRIN*

I think Canadians have somewhat taken marriage equality for granted.  It’s almost like it was a shoe in – we’re Canada, good things happen here.  But witnessing the struggle that Americans have had, and what Dave and Mark have had to go through for years, it has really made me take stock of what we have up here in Canada and realize that it’s not something to be taken for granted.

Dave and Mark will be at our wedding in August.  Please be sure to congratulate them when you meet them.