Del Martin and Phyllis Lyons were finally able to be married after 55 years of love together. They were the first couple to be married 4 years ago and then their marriage was declared null. They were the first couple to be legally married today as soon as the new law went into effect. Not too many people can say they have been with their spouse for that many years, and are still happy and still in love. I’m sure we will be seeing hundreds if not thousands of same sex couples get married in the days and months to come.

I don’t understand why so many people (but a lot less than ten years ago) have nothing else to do, but spend time trying to pass amendments proclaiming marriage to be only between a man and a woman. I hear how worried they are that the institution of marriage will be threatened by same-sex marriage, but it makes no sense to me. How will someone else’s marriage affect theirs?
Will they then be tempted to leave their spouses for a same-sex marriage. I seriously doubt that. I have spoken to countless heterosexual people who are for same-sex marriage because they believe in live and let live and are happy in their own relationships.

If people are really worried about the institution of marriage, they should find out why the divorce rate is so high. they should look at the alienation and isolation many people today are feeling, and how it is so easy to blame their spouse when things go wrong and they see divorce as the only solution, and then they’re still isolated and alienated after the divorce.

People who enter same-sex marriage do it because they are committed to each other and want the same rights that every other married couple have. They want to be able to share their lives, visit each other in the hospital and not be shut out, and raise their children in a loving environment.

With the economy the way it is today, people in every state need to look at the benefits of same-sex marriage. We will have so many people coming to California to get married and spending their money here. It will be good for business, good for the whole economy and good for the institution of marriage.

My next post will be on what organizations need to know and do to increase their customer base in the LGBT market.