[Durham INC] Support the marriage amendment

[Danielle White]

On 09/12/2011 09:38 PM, Melissa Rooney wrote:
> If two people want to marry in order to commit to a partnership in which they will both take responsibility for the other, then they should have the right to do so.

Commitment of that nature is exactly why my spouse and I have remained
together through a recent period. The effect is that we are a same sex
couple who are married and that marriage has full legal recognition, not
just by the State of North Carolina but also the Federal Government.

The way this came to be is quite simple: I am a trans woman who
transitioned while married. As such, my marriage will remain in spite of
such an amendment, but I have no doubt it would create situations,
ranging in severity, wherein we are improperly denied the benefits to
which we are entitled by virtue of being legally married. An easy pick
for theorizing, which follows from prior discussion here, would be
having/continuing to have my spouse on the health insurance policy I
have via my employment, which is the State Health Plan, as it is
expected they would be advised that they cannot offer for same-sex.

I remain in the position where I was several years ago, when a
discussion happened with a friend about her support of a similar
amendment in another state: it constitutes an attack upon my marriage.

Danielle