Marriage Matters: Sharing Our Stories
Together 30 years, Carmen and Anisia Machado eagerly awaited New Jersey's Supreme Court marriage decision. "We were next door neighbors since grade school, we always liked each other and got along," says Carmen of their meeting. "Our parents and families tried to keep us apart but somehow we survived it all. When we got out of school we moved in together."
Despite Carmen's commitment as an employee of the city, she can't cover her partner on her health insurance. Anisia, therefore, has no health benefits. Their two daughters, however, are covered under Carmen's health insurance.
All children deserve the right to the intangible reassurance that comes from knowing that your family is safe and secure. As Carmen says, "We are a family in every way possible. Our two beautiful daughters deserve all of the benefits that all other children in this great country enjoy, and that is to have married parents. The legal and civil rights enjoyed in the United States by ALL Americans are presently denied to us... Aren't we American?"
Read through other families' stories here:
- Carmen and Anisia Machado
- Denise and Treeva Liggett-Creek
- Shelley Hayes and Mary Horvath
- Terri Miller and Cindy Simms
- Mark McKinney and Steve Lepre
- Jennifer Lin and Jeanne Fong
- Lori and Cin Diné
- Gita Deane and Lisa Polyak
- Nigel Simon and Alvin Williams
- Jo Rabb and Takia Foskey
- Lisa Laurey and Toni Williamson
- Richard Phelps and Mitchell Wood
- Desiree Leone and Carolee Stoll
- Barry Clayton and Michael Garaza
- Stephanie Furness and Shannon Kearns
- Charles Blackburn and Glen Dehn
- Delia Meraz and Persephone Gonzalez
- Amorie Robinson and Hattie Alexander-Robinson
Why Marriage Matters America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry
By Evan Wolfson
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Read families’ stories about how marriage discrimination affects everyday life. These stories communicate, in concrete ways, how the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage hurts families and helps no one.
Start in The Marriage Basics to get short answers to your big questions about the freedom to marry, and learn more about the protections and responsibilities of marriage, the historical background for this civil rights movement, why separate is not equal, and so much more.
