Ding dong, DOMA is dead!

Yesterday, I woke up to rain. Sunny rain.  I groaned. Walking Kevin in the rain is always a bit complicated as anyone living in an apartment with a pup knows. One arm for leash.  One arm for umbrella. Do you compromise leash holding or umbrella holding for poo pick up? So many complications. So little time (I like to sleep in til the last minute.)

So, girded with a huge golf umbrella, my poo bag purse with Kevin's polka dot leash in hand, we headed out into the sun shower. As we turned the corner of our apartment building, I looked up and saw the most beautiful rainbow I had ever seen, full bow in view. Kevin and I stopped to stare at it in wonder (well, I stopped in wonder.  He was peeing on a lamppost.)

Kevin did his business, I cleaned up without having to compromise either umbrella or leash as the rain had ceased by the time he boom boomed, and we headed to the house to complete our usual morning ritual.  I watched him eat his breakfast, cause he won't eat if I don't watch.  I stepped into the bathroom to shower while Kevin hopped in and laid down in the shower in protest. You know.  Normal dog/human stuff.

I got to work and hopped online. I changed my profile picture to show my support of LGBT rights.

15 minutes later, a news story popped onto my feed saying that DOMA had been declared unconstitutional. I cried. At my desk. And rejoiced in the fact that the people I love can love whoever they want in whatever capacity they want without federal intervention. A decision had been made.  A decision that made me believe in my country again. A decision that made me think to myself, "Someday, someone is going to ask you where you were when you heard the news. And you'll have to say you were at work and facebooking when you should have been working."

I am not a lesbian, as much as my mom tells me it's ok if I am. I don't even know if I ever want to get married.  But the fact of the matter is that no one should be able to tell me who I can and can't love.  Who I can and can't tie myself to.  Who I can and can't have at my death bed. Who can and can't benefit from my life insurance/health insurance/tax bracket.  I'm not angry at the people who wanted to restrict the rights of my friends and family.  I'm just sad that it was ever a question.

I didn't realize how symbolic that rainbow would be when I saw it through bleary eyes on a Wednesday morning. The full arc reaching across the sky will come to mind any time I think about the day that DOMA was overturned. And if any of my gay or straight friends need a wedding planner/singer/officiant, you know how to get a hold of me.