It was so satisfying seeing congress finally do away with the discriminatory Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, but the full impact of what that might mean for the future of the continuing fight for equal rights for all citizens didn't sink in until I read about Mark Ketterson's story.
Mark Ketterson was legally married to John Fliszar, a highly decorated US Marine, when John died of a heart attack in July 2010. John's dying request was that his ashes be interred at the Naval Academy in Annapolis of which he was a 1971 alum. Once Mark provided documentation as to his relationship with John, not only did the Academy accept Mark's request, they presented the folded flag to him at the ceremony - a tribute the military gives to the accepted next of kin of a veteran.[Go here to read the full story.]
The whole process was so procedural and normal, that it truly gives me hope for the future of equal rights.
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