The Meaning Of Marriage
Aakash & Rochelle, Los Angeles
I never thought I would get married. Growing up in the Midwest, I just never thought the institution of marriage was for me. However, as I've become more honest with myself over the years, I've realized that my heart feels things differently. As a child of Indian immigrants, I watched my parents make tough sacrifices to ensure that my brother and I had all the support we needed to succeed, and it is because of them that I believe so deeply in the value of family.
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Aakash and Rochelle.
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For me, "family" never meant just the four of us. My family consisted of the other Indian children in school, the aunties and uncles I ran into at the grocery store, and those who attended temple and youth group every weekend. My family continues to be all of those community members who grew up with me and who watched me grow up. Without this family, I would not be who I am today. Going home to them gives me a feeling of warmth and security that I cannot get anywhere else.
I believe in the freedom to marry because I believe that all people deserve to feel this kind of love. Everyone deserves to be cherished for the gifts that they bring to a community. Excluding gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from marriage is like excluding them from being a part of these families.
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Aakash, Rochelle and friends
cooking dinner.
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As a Hindu, I have come to value all forms of life on earth. Whether it is human, plant, or animal, all of these beings live in balance with one another. Just as life is life, love is love. Right now, some love is being treated as less true, less full, less real than others.
When I came out to my family as transgender a few years ago, one of my mom's biggest questions was "how are you going to have a family?" She wants me to be loved and supported, and since LGBT people are excluded from marriage in most of this country, she feared that this would not be possible. The freedom to marry is not important because of the rights it might grant me. Rather, it matters because of the security it gives my mother in knowing that her child will be safe, secure, and loved. It matters because it allows LGBT members of our families to be a part of a caring community. Date Created: 12/11/2007
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