One of the proudest moments I’ve ever had was being a bridesmaid in a life-long friend’s wedding. Last June, I wore a turquoise blue dress with a chocolate-brown sash down the aisle overlooking the beach on Long Island. I watched tearfully as she walked down the aisle to “Seasons of Love.” I heard to my mother read a passage about love to their guests. I listened to the vows that she wrote herself. But most importantly, I witnessed a 10-year romance become official just days before New York State voted to recognize gay marriage. Crab cakes had never tasted so good.
In the past few weeks, social media networks have been circulating videos and advertisements encouraging the legality of gay marriage. Seeing fellow classmates, past and present, sharing the links to articles and videos makes me more proud every day to see people thinking about the movement, let alone becoming passionate about the cause itself.
Get Up! Australia released a promotional video for the cause, featuring someone behind a camera capturing the life moments he or she is sharing with a significant other, a male. We watch the stages of any normal relationship: the exchanging of phone numbers at a first encounter, first dates, meeting the family, dealing with tragedy in the family and excursions with friends. It isn’t until the last scene, when the protagonist gets on one knee to propose, that we see he is proposing to another male. It doesn’t seem to make a difference to the viewers until the last few seconds, when we realize that any one in love aspires to that very moment, and relishes everything in between.
Additionally, the Quinnipiac Facebook network has been passing along a video that was uploaded to Moveon.org last Wednesday. It has become an Internet sensation. In the video, “Two Lesbians Raised A Baby And This Is What They Got,” Zach Wahls speaks to a legislative panel in Iowa in protest of the action to repeal the state amendment allowing gay marriage. The speech was given last February, but his articulate and moving speech is now resonating with many people, including those in our community.
In the video, we see just how successful and smart he has become, raised by parents of the same sex. He is a member of what can be considered the quintessential American family, and is a hard-working engineering student, a devoted brother and an Eagle Scout. Everyone in this country measures success in their own way, but it’s obvious that Zach’s mothers raised a son who has reasons to be proud of himself and his family.
In life and love, gay marriage is an issue that many people have opinions on, and to me, no opinion is wrong. But at least for our generation, gay marriage is a social topic that we cannot disregard. These promotional videos encapsulate a movement that is “trendy,” but in a vital way. It affects families, relationships and friendships. As well all know, those entities never go out of style.
