commentary

It’s a Nice Day for a Gay Wedding, Professor Flickinger

You may now kiss the awesome person.

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Garrett Flickinger, who taught Wills and Trusts at UNM School of Law, sternly lectured that gay marriage would never be legalized in our lifetime. And it made sense, to hear him tell it: There was far too much wrapped up in public policy, probate law, divorce case loads, health insurance premiums, political campaigns and general squeamishness of the hoi polloi for our culture to ever do the right thing until everyone had flying cars and food pills. Sadly, Professor Flickinger was right in terms of his own lifetime … but I imagine today’s turn of events would have made him very proud.

I, on the other hand, am deeply saddened at the prospect of possibly having to attend twice as many weddings. I’m too fat for my suit, it’s hard for me to stay awake and Target is running low on those pizza pans with the holes in the bottom. But at least from this day forward, “gay marriage” will mean the union of two people who love each other just as much as any two other people do, or as much as any two other people ever did. Rather than just my wife’s whispered critique of some straight couple’s melodramatic wedding vows. (Hi, Honey!)

I’m proud of us as a culture, too, for doing the right thing, even in the face of Professor Flickinger’s caveats. There comes a time when no matter what hardship it entails, you tell your son, “Yes, son … you can keep that pet raccoon.” Perhaps someday we will even recognize gay funerals. Call me a dreamer, but—urk! White pills … left pocket …right pocket, then.