On November 7th, my son will wake us up early, just like he does every day.  Promptly at 6am he’ll tumble into our bed and tell us some tidbit of news he was thinking about when he woke up.

He’s 6. My wife and I love him so much it hurts. We love each other too. No decision Washington’s voters make on November 6th can change that. But when you vote on marriage equality – you can change something else.

When you vote on marriage equality you vote on the validity of my family in the eyes of the law.  An APPROVE vote will mean that my family has the same legal and economic protections as any opposite-sex married couple with kids.

And it means something else – it means that on November 7th, at breakfast, my wife and I don’t have to explain to our son why the voters of Washington don’t think our family is as good as his classmates’.

I know I’m married. I’ve known since the day 9 years ago when I stood with my wife in front of 100 of our friends and family, and made our vows to each other. We don’t count on the state to tell us who to love, or whether our family is right and good.

But we do count on the state for our legal and economic protections, and we count on voters to stand up for fairness and against discrimination, every time the rights of one group are put to the vote of the majority.

There are many struggles behind and us and ahead of us to ensure our laws and policies give everyone equal opportunity – this is just one. But it’s one chance we have to say YES to fairness, and I hope you’ll join me in voting APPROVE on Referendum 74. If enough of us do, then my family can have a regular morning at the breakfast table on November 7th, without having to explain to any six-year-olds why the voters in Washington decided that his family is somehow less a family than anyone else’s.

Posted by Siobhan Ring. My family and I are grateful to make our home in the Central District.