Originally Posted by Gilda

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No, same-sex marriage isn't recognized legally where I now live. Grace and I were married religiously in a Unitarian church in California, and later had a second ceremony for her family at their family shrine. We have both a Christian and a Shinto marriage, but not a legal one.

In California we were Registered Domestic Partners, which, starting in 2005, grants all the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as marriage within the state. RDPs were initiated in 1999, then upgraded in late 2004.

For us, marriage is about declaring our love for each other and pledging to forever join with each other in front of our family and God, becoming partners in mind, body, and spirit.

Keep in mind that there are two types of marriage, religious and civil. The laws and legal rulings address solely the civil version. Churches are already free to marry or not marry whomever they choose.

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