As a mother, I am furious
By Colleen Boyd
"My son is 21 years old. He has hazel eyes, can eat anything and never gain an ounce, loves thrift shopping and lives in China. And he is gay. He came out to me about 2.5 years ago. Since then, I have become much more involved in human rights issues, including the issue of same-sex marriage. I like to remind my sisters (some of whom are rather conservative) that in our lifetime, in several states, it would have been illegal for my husband and I to be married. Laws forbidding the marriage of [Native Americans] and non-natives remained on the books in Oregon through the 1950s. Of course, that is but one example of the criminalization of interracial marriages. This is no different.
"What makes me most angry is that my son is in a loving relationship with a foreign national. If his partner were female, they could marry, come to the U.S. and establish residency. His partner could even pursue U.S. citizenship. [Sixteen countries recognize same-sex couples for purposes of immigration. The United States does not.] Obviously, that happy scenario is currently denied my son and his boyfriend. And as a mother, I am furious that I am denied the joy of watching my beloved child marry the person he loves. People forget that family members are also denied something when their children are discriminated against."
Colleen Boyd, Middletown, Conn., Married mother of three
April 21, 2004