Susan.Craig.Bear.Ride.Audio

Excerpt of Bear and Susan's comments on why marriage is important? "The difference between a contract and a covenant for us was really significant. We had the contract, essentially, with our domestic partnership, because once marriage equality hit California for that little brief time, essentially they said, “It’s now going to be as difficult to separate from a domestic partnership as it would be getting a divorce. So, essentially you’re married, but you’re not married.” So, the contract was already there. It was the covenant. It was sharing making our love and commitment to each other, our exclusive lifelong commitment to each other – public, celebrated before God and all these witnesses. And that’s what it was, including our kids. Also, there is language involved – if you use the word “this is my partner” – you’re not exactly sure what that means. It could mean any number of things (business partner…). But when we got married, Susan inherited, I mean she became my kids’ “mother-in-law-in-law,” and I became the mother-in-law of her kids and grandchildren, my mother became her mother-in-law – and now there’s language. And people understand that. So, when we’re out with Susan’s kids they’ll introduce me to their friends as their mother-in-law. And that’s different from saying my mother’s partner or something., because there is the in-law, which actually means “in-law.” And that was important to us." Full transcript at tamfs.org/interviews