Last week legislators voted in favor of equality, which means the hard work is finished and only a few procedural steps are left before marriages can start. Barring any 11th-hour surprises, weddings are scheduled to start in Delaware on July 1, and in Rhode Island on Aug. 1.

The wedding went off without a hitch and, over the years, dissolved into a silly and cherished family memory. At that very time, unbeknownst to me, my moms were forking over time, energy and legal fees to make their union and joint custody of me as legal in the eyes of the court as a married couple's.

For a long time I had no interest in and was opposed to getting married. I believed that we didn't need the state to validate our relationship. I already knew its value and our commitment to each other. And then a funny thing happened: I lost my job and needed health insurance.

When it comes to marriage, one of the final arguments of the anti-gay movement is "why not civil unions?" This is why.

If California's marriage equality ban is unconstitutional, the brief implicitly argued, then these other seven states' bans -- Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island -- likely are as well.

A Republican state representative may have befuddled some in her conservative region after she voted "yes" on Colorado's civil unions bill. Rep. C...