This Is Why Gay Marriage Is Necessary

When people complain that gays don't need "special rights" point them to this story. A Native American lesbian couple were denied the right to visitation at their local hospital....."their dreams bumped against legal reality when Dawn was barred from Kathy's hospital room because she was not family."

So what did they do? They asked the Cherokee Nation for a marriage application and received it. They thought the problem was solved but the trouble had only begun. Now they are embroiled in a huge legal battle. Here are some of their reactions:

"We were very naive. We thought we'd get married under Cherokee law and that would be the end of it. We never thought it would turn into this."
"There were about 35 lawyers on the list of those permitted to argue in tribal court, and one day I went down the whole list and couldn't find anyone willing to take the case," McKinley said. "One guy laughed and hung up on me."

"One neighbor just stopped talking to us when this became public," Reynolds said.

"I mean, really, who are we hurting here?" McKinley asked. "We don't bother anyone, we mind our own business . . . stick to ourselves. How would our marriage hurt anyone?"

So next time people scoff at gays and lesbians being denied rights tell them about this couple. Gays and lesbians should have ALL the same rights afforded under law in the United States of America.