My First Lesbian Wedding — More Than Just Vows

BlytheWood
Sep 7, 2018 · 3 min read
Photo by Abo Ngalonkulu on Unsplash

One of the happiest occasions I’ve attended in years was the day my very good friend Rebecca married her long-time partner Annie.

It wasn’t just that they’re the cutest couple, though they are. It wasn’t that Rebecca was resplendent in a hand-made white suit and make-up — something I’d never seen her wear in ten years. It wasn’t that the setting was in a magical forest, with a full moon and fairy lights, or that the food was delicious, tasty and plentiful. It wasn’t that one of my best friends was the celebrant, or that I actually got up to dance with my partner and son, something I’ve never been able to bring myself to do before. It wasn’t that our table was full of my best friends, and it wasn’t even the floods of tears my son and I shed, it was so much more than that.

The thing that made me joyous was that this wedding had been ten years in the making. Prior to the 9th of December 2017, same-sex marriage was not legalised in Australia. Dear Rebecca and Annie, longing to be married, had been denied the opportunity up until this time. They’d always remained hopeful that the law would change, and when it did, it was something to be euphoric about.

Now, I have heard many people state that it was ridiculous that it was illegal for a person to marry their same-sex partner, prior to 2017 — and in a fair and equal-opportunistic world, it was unfair. But we don’t live in an equitable and just world. As an optimist, let’s just celebrate what is now. Let’s not allow the sins of the past to dictate the possibilities of the future.

In my state, it was illegal until May 1997 to even be homosexual and be in a relationship with someone of the same sex, though it had been decriminalised 13 years earlier in other states of Australia.

Change often comes slowly, especially if the government are involved, so I posit, in the words of Billy Porter :

For me, life is about being positive and hopeful, choosing to be joyful, choosing to be encouraging, choosing to be empowering.

And finally, the Australian people voted — in favour of something that every person, regardless of sexual orientation should be able to enjoy.

61.6 per cent of the Australian population or 7,817,247 people voted yes.

And though detractors comment on the fact that this statistic isn’t 100% of the voting population, consider that there was no penalty for not voting for same-sex marriage. This contrasts with the fact that if you choose NOT to vote in the federal election, you receive a fine for not doing so.

But statistics apart, I know of at least two people, who will continue to sing their happy song. And hearty congratulations to them, a more beautiful couple I couldn’t imagine.

Written by

Mum to teen transgender son, organic gardener, herb enthusiast, reader, writer and all-round knowledge-sponge, lover of black cats.

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