Many times the commitment

Below (with minor changes) is something I posted this morning to Google+ and then to Facebook. Although I’ve mentioned aspects of this in previous blog posts, I decided to share it here, too:

Yesterday, I worked out that after 16 years, Nigel and I have been together more than 81 times longer than Kim Kardashian’s marriage. We’ve also been together more than 2,550 times longer than Britney Spears’ 55-hour marriage. And yet we CANNOT marry, either in New Zealand or my native Illinois.

What’s more, our New Zealand Civil Union isn’t recognised by the United States Government for any purpose whatsoever, including immigration. So, unlike my relatives with foreign-born spouses, I can’t sponsor mine to live with me in the USA. So, we don’t. Actually, even if we were married in New Zealand or Illinois, the US Government wouldn't even recognise THAT.

Every time we hear of yet another “celebrity” having a spectacular failure at marriage, we should think about the thousands of same-sex couples who never get the chance to even start a marriage—no matter how long they’ve been together. Until all same sex couples have the right to marry, with all due respect, shallow newsmedia, don’t expect me to give a damn about the latest spectacular marriage failure by spoiled morons who don’t have a clue what marriage really means.

Today BuzzFeed posted a list of 20 more couples who have been together more than 72 days but still cannot marry.

This isn’t the last time I’ll be talking about this subject, nor is this the last time I’ll point out the blatant hypocrisy of treating these “celebrities” who marry and divorce like they’re choosing new party outfits as if they deserve more respect than committed, but forbidden-to-marry, gay and lesbian couples. Count this as yet another way in which I have many times the commitment they do.