Brenda and Carol: Participants in the WE DO Campaign who will request a license on Tuesday, October 11, 2011.
In April of 1986 I was promoted to a new job as Assistant Principal. Carol was teaching in the school that I began working in. In our case, I guess you could say the rest is history. We have been in a committed relationship for 25 years and have raised two beautiful daughters together. We have two handsome grandsons and an awesome dog named Jesse!
Our journey together has taken us through two full careers in education, both retiring and moving on to other careers. Carol decided that Law School would be fun at age 55 and graduated Cum Laude 3 years later! I became a consultant in education and spent much of my time commuting from Florida to New Mexico each week for work.
We have supported each other through career changes, caring for elderly parents, returning to school, work related moves and all of the normal changes that couples go through as they build an enduring relationship. We have built a wonderful life together yet it is not recognized, in any legal sense, as a partnership and we feel that is wrong.
We have many friends who are couples and in committed relationships. They have been together for 50 years, 30 years, 27 years and on and on. None of us can be married in the eyes of the U.S. government nor do we enjoy the same benefits or protections offered straight couples.
All we want is to be treated the same, protected the same, recognized the same as other couples who are in love as we are and committed to a life together.
– Brenda and Carol
