''I was out of work for eight weeks, spent a week in the hospital. That was the first time I really felt thankful for the sense of the security we had, with Rich there, talking with the physicians, helping make decisions. ... It really made a difference. .... More than once. I was introducing Rich and said, 'This is my partner,' and they'd say, 'Oh, what kind of company do you own? What business are you in?''

Gary Chalmers, explaining the differences between being a committed gay couple and being a married gay couple has made his life and his husband, Richard Linnell, in Massachusetts. This long AP article emphasizes that despite the continuing grumblings of a few religious conservatives, Massachusetts society has kept on going with business as usual five years after gay and lesbian couples began legally marrying in that groundbreaking state. (Associated Press via Yahoo)