I married my husband twice, once in Portland and once in Vancouver, and we have a domestic partnership in Washington, where we actually live. We all know that victory is now inevitable, but I just wanted to briefly give you an anecdote of how close victory is. And it all has to do with my right wing sister-in-law.
We went to the East Coast to surprise my husband's mother for Mother's Day, and we stayed in New Hampshire with my sister-in-law who lives in Manchester. She is a right wing Christian. I walked in to find Glenn Beck inspired 9/12 Project paraphernalia and they bragged of going to a tea party on tax day. They warned us not to mention to their son that we were married.
But they gave up their bedroom so my husband and I could sleep in the same room. When their six year old son called me by my first name, she scolded him and told him I was to be called "Uncle Gitai." They live in a state that has passed gay marriage in the legislature, and is surrounded on all sides by states where gay marriage is law, Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Kids aren't stupid, and with all the evidence of a marriage arrayed before him, her omission seemed so pointless that I couldn't even be offended.
I spent the weekend teaching the kid to do rolls, reading to him, sharing my love of Star Wars, and hanging out with him. I'm totally his favorite uncle now to the point that his parents had to practically drag him away from me. That kid will put two and two together and recognize my marriage long before much of the nation. That's why we win. For the next generation, gay marriage will seem normal, and millions of gay uncles will be favorites.