The 1st married gay couple in LA explains why marriage matters

From Robin Tyler,

I had done something that I never thought would happen within my lifetime, but it took until my mid-60’s. I was finally able to marry the woman I was in love with. I didn’t think that a legal marriage would make our commitment to each other any different. But it did. It changed things.

It changed people’s perception of us. They saw us as a married couple, and not just 2 women living together.

I know, this shouldn’t matter. But to our neighbors (and we live in a conservative area in the valley), to the gas station attendant where we fill up, to the servers at In and Out burgers who recognized us from our wedding, it counted. They were happy for us. There was not one Yes on 8 sign on our long block in North Hills. Our neighbors knew us, and because of it, refused to put up signs. Our born-again Christian pool man sent us a congratulations card. Everyone was happy for us. And we were ecstatic.
The legal commitment strengthened the moral commitment we had over the years. It just felt-deeper. And the romance, which always dwindles down when people live together for years, came back.