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.

The American people have "moved on" into the unknown of what it will be like for LGBT people to be equal under the law. We see that the world will not end and that our society will not crash and burn. We shouldn't have to drag our Congress, our clergy and our courts with us.

If they "break" with the master plan of the most conservative factions in their party, they lose. If they don't vote for true equality and justice for all of their constituents, they lose. They have to decide where they want to stand.

Was Tory MP David Davies wrong in stating that no parent wants a gay child? As a "gay child," hearing the statement repeatedly on the news is not a very nice feeling. Do I think my mother would wish I weren't gay? I don't think so.

The topic of equal marriage is a hot one in the UK. Earlier this year there was a government consultation designed to hear the public's views on how equal marriage could be introduced. There was a huge response to the consultation, but not just from the people who took part in it.

I think every parent has those discussions they don't want to have with their children. But now that my oldest son, at 7 years old, identifies as gay, I find myself facing a whole new set of things I just don't want to say to him.

They talk about a future that may one day include children. And it only takes about three minutes in their company to see that they are absolutely and completely in love. But they can't be married, and it bothers them.