I just got a letter today from my Aunts

It was just the usual chatty letter, with pictures of their cats and dog they took and printed with the camera and printer we sent them - nothing political, except my Aunts are a couple in their 80s who have been together longer than I've been alive.

When I hear homophobes gasp about "the gay lifestyle!!11," I think of this couple; one an engineer and the other, a telecom worker (both retired now); their modest yet pretty little house; how much they love animals; how one loves loves loves gadgets as I do, and the other who loves the kind of work I'm doing on our house - but mostly how incredibly, quietly and stubbornly brave these two women are and how nothing has diminished their devotion to each other. They are no 'threat' to my (or anyone's) marriage; they are role models, and not just for a long, strong marriage, but for being courageous, kind, smart, funny and all-around great.

I really admire courage - the hard kind, of going on even through the most difficult circumstances. I think that all GLBT people show this type of courage - quietly, with dignity, and every day - which makes them some of the bravest people on earth.

Just like my 80+ year old aunts.

And I hope that very soon, just living life won't require that kind of strength every day.