Thank you, Mildred, and may you rest in peace.

Mildred Loving dies at 68.

All she and her husband wanted was to have their marriage legally recognized in the state they lived in. Only problem? She was Black and he was white and that didn't play well too well in Virginia in 1958; in fact, their marriage was illegal. In 1967 the Supreme Court unanimously upheld their right to be married, a ruling that affected the law in 17 states.

In June of 2007, on the 40th anniversary of the ruling of Loving vs. Virginia, Mrs. Loving released a statement in which she said:

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don’t think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.

I was four in 1967 and I can't help but wonder how old I'll be when we queers have our own Loving vs. Virigina*, if that will happen in my lifetime as well.

For Mrs. Loving, it wasn't political, but for me, it is. Thanks to complicated tax laws and the difference between the State of California, which recognizes our registered domestic partnership, and the US Federal Government, which does not, Nancy is financially penalized for the fact that she's gay and has the nerve to want her partner to have health insurance.

That's the difference between our piece of paper and the piece of paper issued by Sacramento County when my ex-husband and I got married. And that's why I can say that yes, in the United States, there honestly is such a thing as straight privilege.

The law should not be different for me because I'm gay anymore than it should have been different for Mildred and Richard Loving because she wasn't white or he wasn't Black. And that's why, in addition to being an emotional thing, it's political for me.

*According to Wikipedia, at least one court has decided that Loving vs. Virginia doesn't apply to same-sex marriage. The law...go figure.