This is awesome:

In the SF Chronicle today, I saw a piece about a ballot measure that was introduced in Washington State today that would require opposite sex married couples to have a child within three years of being married lest their marriage be annulled. This has been proposed by the Washington Defence of Marriage Alliance.

Great name. They have beautifully turned the right-wing tactic on its head and crafted a name to make it sound a lot like “The Defence of Marriage Act,” which was totally anti-gay. But I digress.

I love this!

It is totally absurd. Just like the argument that “marriage is for procreation”, therefore same sex couples shouldn’t have marriage rights.

If we used this logic, my father wouldn’t have been able to marry his current wife last summer. They are in their early-to-mid 70s, and I don’t think they are planning to have children. They’ve both been there, done that, and they wouldn’t appreciate anyone telling them that their marriage is any less meaningful because they can’t procreate.

In fact, their have taught me a lot about love and family. Their relationship has been very creative (maybe even procreative) in growing their family, bringing a disparate group together in kinship and love. They are thriving in companionship, and continuing to grow independantly and together.

My mother and father were married for over 40 years by the time my Mom died in 2001. They were soulmates, and they are my role models for marriage. Now that my Dad was lucky enough to find Great Love a second time, I have another couple to look to for inspiration.

All of this is to say that love makes a family. What can possibly be wrong about that.