United, on a Glorious Day in Vermont

On July 2, Dustin F. Piccolo and I were joined in a civil union in the state of Vermont. Witness to the union was my childhood friend Sudha Narasimhan. Since the one-year anniversary of our domestic partnership in the District of Columbia is coming up on Wednesday, we thought it appropriate to go to Vermont to make our commitment as legal as possible.

In the small town of Brattleboro, Vermont, only three hours from New York City, we pledged our lives to one another on a glorious day, with the words "till death do us part." The ceremony was small and was performed by Justice of the Peace CeCe Brozetarnik, in a quaint park just across the street from the town hall. CeCe commented that the steeple of the church where she was married many years ago could be seen just over her shoulder.

I am currently a student at American University, where my major is pre-law. Besides being a full-time student, I am also an active member of the Students for Dean Campaign and a manager at a local Cuban restaurant on the Hill. After I graduate from American, I hope to go on to law school in Boston, Massachusetts, where I will actively pursue my studies in constitutional law and civil rights. Maybe someday I will sit on the Supreme Court. Keep your eyes open for me.

Dustin is a student at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, where he majors in sculpture and papermaking, with a concentration in painting. Dustin is an accomplished artist. He has had work auctioned at Food & Friends and has won awards for his work in the New Jersey State Fair. He was the first student to have art displayed at Blair Academy, Dustin's alma mater. Dustin will be attending graduate school in Boston after the Corcoran and would love to teach others about art.

As you may know, marriage is a hotly contested issue now, since the Supreme Court has said gays and lesbians are worthy of equality under the law.

I'm sure it's not a surprise, but marriage between same-sex couples is not legal in the United States, which leaves many couples feeling like second-class citizens.

In a society where couples like us fulfill all of their obligations to the government, shouldn't we be able to have legal recognition of our partnership and reap the benefits of marriage? As of now, gay couples are not entitled to receive any of the more than 1,000 rights that come along with civil marriage.

Dustin and I have faced direct discrimination by our respective schools. Unfortunately, his school has been unwilling to recognize our domestic partnership, which would reduce his financial contribution to his education dramatically. This is one of the reasons we went to Vermont.

Some of the rights that come with legal marriage are the ability to file joint federal and state tax returns, adoption rights, hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights, survivorship benefits, housing rights, the ability to sue for your spouse, Family and Medical Leave Act rights (leave of absence to care for a sick partner), insurance benefits, social security benefits, pension benefits — and the list goes on.

These rights are just a few in a list of countless rights that the gay and lesbian community are currently being deprived of on a daily basis, and ironically many people who have access to these rights take them for granted.

With the recognition of same-sex partnerships will come an equal playing field, where the ideas our country was founded on will pertain to gay couples as well as straight ones.

Equality under the law is of supreme importance to both Dustin and me, and we hope each of you will exercise your right to fight this injustice towards gay and lesbian couples, because each of us only wants to be allowed the same rights as everyone else, but it's not possible without your help.

I encourage you to write your representative and express your viewpoints regarding this issue. Please encourage them to give more rights to gay and lesbian couples.

Also, if anyone is interested in going to Brattleboro Vermont to enter into a civil union, go to http://www.sec.state.vt.us/otherprg/civilunions/civilunions.html. You'll find some great information there. Or you can call Jane Fletcher, the assistant town clerk, at 802-254-4541, ext 126. §