Rick & Steven

Welcome to 'TheGaySide' of Life, Religion, Politics & Everything your Momma told you not to Talk About!
We are dedicating our blog to Gay Equality, Gay Rites, and Gay Religious Freedom under The Constitution!
We believe...
Hate in any Color is still hate be it Religious, Ethnic, Gender, Social, Economic, Status, Disability, or Sexual Orientation. Discrimination against anyone is an intolerance against the very essence of ones soul and an offense to the beauty and diversity of Creation Itself.
The truth is, the Rainbow Nation -- so to speak -- is comprised of ‘Every Color’ from ‘Every Race’ and ‘Every Religion’ -- GLBT peoples can be found across the globe.
We are here to share our lives together with our friends and supporters. We've been together now for Eight Years, however we were officially 'Married' here in Portland on March 3, 2004 by an Ordained Minister, along with hundreds of other couples while it was briefly legal here in the State of Oregon. That is, until "activist" Judges decided to "legislate morality from the bench" and take away our Civil Right of Marriage.
We certainly did seem to make quite an impression that day, dressed in our new, classic black & white tuxedos, with the media swarming, and cameras flashing as complete strangers handed us flowers to parade. Who knew a year later that our stolen wedding photo would make National Headlines and our case would go all the way to the United States Court of Appeals Washington, DC in the Great Gay Marriage Debate?
We have defended our marriage and continue to bear witness for Equality, Equal Religious Rites as well as Civil & Federal recognition of our marriage.
The United States of America was built on the ideals of 'Freedom' & 'Liberty'; according to the sacred concepts of the Constitution, we are fully allowed the right to 'Freedom of Religion' and the 'Liberty' to practice and uphold our religious beliefs and values the way we see fit, including the way we choose to express our religious ceremonies.
Is it not our Constitutional Right to practice the same ceremonies & rituals that define 'Marriage' according to our own personal religious beliefs? By OUR OWN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS & STANDARDS, we define what 'Marriage' is; we do not need ignorant and naïve people to tell us what 'Marriage' is to them and then to subsequently brand those beliefs into our Constitution for all Americans to conform to! This is exactly why it's unconstitutional to ban same-sex marriage.
If Religious Conservatives truly believe in the "sanctity of marriage" here in America, again - then why are Non-Christian couples – including Atheists, Agnostics, and yes, even Satanists - afforded the same marriage rites and civil rights? -- Not attacking these beliefs personally -- but this is a very good question.
Shouldn't the so-called 'Defense of Marriage Act' that these ultra-conservative zealots so hypocritically uphold in the name of God address these allegedly 'unholy' unions according to their own church-ascribed 'sanctity'? Did they not state the exact same arguments when Black & White heterosexual couples first stood up for their marriage equality? Have we learned absolutely nothing from our History people???
Why, before all others, are same-sex couples denied equal rights/rites under the Constitution? Not to mention denying the same equal Federal benefits that are freely afforded to heterosexual couples regardless of whether they consider themselves Christian or not.
Not only is amending the Constitution in order to discriminate against same-sex couples absurd, by their standards, it does not stand to truly guard against their idea of the so-called "sanctity of marriage" as they blindly see it.
If allowed to continue, this would be the first time in our great history that we've ever amended the Constitution to deny rights to ANY people, let alone same-sex couples.
So Come Join Us on our Blog @ TheGaySide – Life, Religion, Politics & Everything Your Mamma Told You Not To Talk About!