JamieAnn Meyers met her wife in high school before living into her gender identity as a woman. In a Huffington Post article she describes the heart of marriage, “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do part.” These marriage vows were put to the test when she came out to her wife as female. As they struggled together to honor God’s creation, the true nature of marriage revealed itself.
Our love has not been diminished by my gender transition. It’s the same love we have always had for one another. We have not given up in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, and our family has grown in support and understanding and love for us and for one another. Our marriage is no different from any other committed and loving relationship between two married people.
Our commitment to one another is the same commitment that our God of love and justice has made to each and every one of us: to love us rather than hate us, to care for us rather than abandon us, to free us from oppression rather than oppress us. I believe that those who would suggest that our marriage to one another is less valued than that of other people, or that our marriage should not be valid, devalues the true meaning of marriage.
Our marriage doesn’t redefine marriage, and it doesn’t threaten or change anyone else’s marriage. Our marriage is about love and faithfulness irrespective of gender and my gender transition. Our marriage reaffirms our ongoing, nearly lifelong commitment that strengthens our family and society.
JamieAnn wrote this article to challenge the proposed amendment to the Minnesota constitution that would restrict marriage to one man and one woman. JamieAnn Meyers is an advocate and activist for transgender people in secular and faith communities. She serves as the transgender representative to the board of Lutherans Concerned/North America, works with GenderFold in the UCC, is a lead trainer with the Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance, and serves on the board of the Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition.
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