The photo of this couple was taken at the first gay marriages in New York. I’ve been following this and reading other m/m author blogs and I’ve been seeing interesting blog posts about it.

One thing we can all agree on is that it’s a wonderful thing for all gay people in New York to be able to legally marry. They’ve been fighting and waiting for this for a long time and they deserve to enjoy the moment for as long as they can.

But…and you knew there was a but coming…I’m surprised at how little I’ve seen mentioned about the real issue at hand, which is legalized gay marriage/unions, on a federal level. And when I see this lack of understanding on m/m author blogs for all gay Americans on a federal level it leads me to wonder whether the blogger just isn’t up on what’s happening within the gay community nationally, or whether they just don’t get it because they are only getting their information on the surface.

I’m thrilled for the women in the photo above. I’m thrilled for everyone else who was married in New York. But I personally know hundreds more like them here in Bucks County, PA, where gay marriage is still illegal and probably will be for a long time. Same goes for New Jersey.

So while I’m thrilled about legalized gay marriage in New York, I’m not jumping up and down right now. Even if ten more states in the union legalized gay marriage tomorrow, it still wouldn’t be recognized on a federal level and gay Americans are still not going to be treated with the equality they deserve…on some very important levels, too.

So for those authors writing m/m fiction who think they are helping gay people when they post about how wonderful gay marriage in New York is, I wish you’d take the time to fully learn the ramifications of what gay marriage means to us on a federal level and start posting more about that in the future. That’s where it really counts. That’s where we really need your support and your loud voices. That’s when gay couples in the military will receive benefits and when gay couples won’t have to pay federal inheritance taxes on their own homes when their lifelong partner passes away.