Craig: Many people think about marriage in terms of a church ceremony, a man and a woman, the biblical reference — "That's the way it's always been and that's the way it's always going to be." Michael: The thought of two men or two women kissing, sharing a life and a bedroom, bothers a lot of people. Craig: Some people will never change, but others are becoming better informed and more tolerant. Many of those people are moving to a more accepting stand. Michael: People need to separate the religious aspects of marriage from the civil aspects. Expanding the benefits of a marriage license to same-sex couples doesn't denigrate the holiness of marriage. If Craig and I were to get married, we wouldn't need to get married in a church, but we do expect equal treatment as citizens. We're a couple, we've been together a long time, and we'll be together the rest of our lives. Craig: We're both from farm families, and our families are very open and accepting of us and have been for a long time. We're fortunate to be so close with them — a lot of people don't have that support. And we're fortunate that our relationship has been so healthy all these years.
Together since November 4, 1980