Waiting...

It is June 25th and the question is will June 26th 2013 be a day that history is made? The answer is yes, but it remains to be see in what manner. The country and the world is watching to see what direction the Supreme Court will take the country. Will it continue to allow discrimination based upon sexual orientation or will it open the door for dramatic change in our country. Whatever the decisions are handed down noone will see an immediate, dramatic change in their lives. Some people who are gay may not even feel the decision will impact them directly. My family for one can and hopefully will be affected positively by the decision. A lot of people are probably thinking, "big deal, so you can't get married", from my perspective it is a big deal, not for me or my husband directly, but for our kids. And I am not talking about the social connotation for our kids, but more financial. One of the numerous benefits married couples receive is the reduction of Estate Taxes. For unmarried couples, if one of the partner's die, the other has to pay huge amounts of taxes, unlike married couples. This alone would dramatically affect the lives of kids. For instance if one of us passes away and the other has to pay a big Estate tax bill, that could me comprimising our kids college fund or even forcing them to move into another neighborhood, change schools, etc. Sure there are legal ways around this such as leaving the estate in a Trust for the kids, just like obtaining a durable power of attorney and a medical power of attorney to address issues that a married couple automatically has, but these things cost money, time and changes as our lives change. Despite all these attempts and legal documents, the rights that a married couple has outweighs the rights of an 'unmarried' couple. If DOMA is struck down and the Supreme Court leaves marriage rights up to the states, for those of us living in the south it will be years before we can expect the issue to be resolved. However the decision might, just might push the momentum enough so we all can be treated equally sooner.