Back in the early 80's, I was working on electrical systems on an occupied floor of NYU hospital in NYC. It was at the very beginning of the AIDs epidemic, and the gay community here was being utterly ravished by this strange and deadly disease. Basically, there was nothing to do at the time except to make the patients as pain free and comfortable as possible while waiting for the inevitable end.
I remember all these young men lying, unmoving, staring at the ceiling, many covered with lesions caused by an accompanying malady, Kaposi's sarcoma. I also remember their partners, coming day after day, cleaning, feeding, hugging and singing to them, doing anything and everything they could to comfort them.
Thinking back, it occurred to me years later, why is it that a couple can get drunk in Las Vegas, married and separated 24 hours later and the state will view that as a lawful union while these people, who are in long term committed, loving relationships and happen to be gay, were denied that same right of recognition? How did that make things better?
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