Four (Same-Sex) Weddings and a Funeral

Author Susan Goldberg

"Ontario had, finally, granted same-sex partners the right to wed," Susan Goldberg writes in her in the 2012 winter edition of  MS magazine and the new  situation was "forcing Canadian queers to consider the question: Will you or won't you now that you can?"

Susan and her partner opt for marriage but their dream wedding is overshadowed by the the illness of Susan's mother.  A giddy round of house buying, wedding plans and a planned pregnancy are all eclipsed by the deteriorating condition of the mother who was so thrilled and proud to host her daughter's wedding.  Family and friends gather.

Susan writes: "And that's the thing about weddings.  Done right, they bring together more than two people. They knit families and friends together, make us collectively stronger.  And that's why, for me at least, the issue of gay marriage resonates" The human rights it protects and enshrines extend beyond two brides or two grooms to their parents, their siblings, their communities."

Susan writes with sensitivity and wisdom about the great events that create our lives.

 This issue of Ms. is available at the Northern Women's Bookstore.