I love the constitution as much as the next paralegal/lawyer. I love the fact that our country was created on its principles. That a group of men had a vision, a vision of a land where everyone was equal and free. As our country grew, so did our constitution. Amendments are a beautiful thing, they gave women the right to vote and made people of color equal citizens. It clearly states that State and church shall remain separate.

Separate is an understatement. All to often our law makers and even our president blur the lines between church and state. It disgust me to no end that people are using our beloved constitution as a weapon in a which hunt. A which hunt that will not end at creating amendments banning gay marriage. We are a country built on dreams, hopes, and ideas. One man knew that this could be the place, the land of equality and freedom. Thousands of men fought and died to protect our freedoms, to protect our way of life. An I will be damned if their deaths do not stand for something. They paid the ultimate price. The price so that we could be free.

I am a very proud God Mother to my God Daughter Rose. I remember the day T & C came to me and asked me to write a recommendation to the adoption agency on their behalf. I didn’t think twice. I told T & C that it would be an honor, an honor to help these two men become fathers. A child doesn’t care if you are gay or straight. As long as you show them love, love is all they need. An it doesn’t matter if that love comes from same-sex parents or heterosexual parents. Its love! Plain and simple it comes down to love!

Rose is a beautiful little girl. T & C love her without question, they are the two most amazing parents you will ever meet. To see the love they have for Rose is amazing. She is the best dressed little girl I know. I stood proudly next to T & C at the baptismal font. I took a vow that I would protect and raise Rose with everything that I had and would teach her about God. I once got in trouble in college for making this statement “If we are all made in the image of God, then well part of God is gay too.” I got a lot of heat for that statement, but I still believe in it. God does not turn his back on people. People turn their backs on people. We lose hope.

Hope. Is what I see when I look at T, C, and Rose. A beautiful wild Hope that shows we are moving in the right direction. Yet, so many want to hinder our Hope. They believe that same-sex couple should not marry. It breaks my heart, it truly does. My hope is to stand at T & C’s side as they say I do. Just like I did at the baptismal font. I want to cheer them on, throw rice in their hair, and party down at their wedding. This should not go to a vote. We are Minnesotans, people know us for our manners, for our visions, and mostly we are a people of Hope.

So it is my HOPE that you will reach out to someone who is gay and tell them I AM BEHIND YOU. Let them know that you have hope, hope that they will one day gain the right to marry. Rose deserves to live in a world where her parents can marry. She deserves to know a world of HOPE and to put this hate behind her. Rose is T & C’s greatest joy and that joy knows no boundaries.