Don't kill me. I really want to be enlightened

[question everything]

Perhaps I've lived sheltered life and do not know many openly gay people.

How do married couples refer to each other? A spouse? (this is how heterosexuals should refer to each other, too..) There was a comment in the news about changing the form from "bride and groom" to something else, do not remember...

When a gay couple has children, how do their kids address them? (mommy Jane and mommy Kathy?)

Again, I am not trying to be facetious, I really would like to know.

Thanks.

[qb]

1. spouse, partner, wife, husband... it's a matter of preference

As for children, I have heard them distinguish between two moms as "Mom" and "Mama", two dads as "Dad" and "Papa" or other variations.

[mitchtv]

2. Right now my partner of 31 years

has become my fiance. it's almost backward, but he will become my spouse next week. I won't change my name, its too late for that.

[babylonsister]

5. Congratulations to you and your soon-to-be spouse, mitch!

It's about damned time! :toast:

[readmoreoften]

3. Just like most things in the LGBT world, no one way of doing it.

i call my girlfriend my husband--and so does everyone else--but she's really butch so... My parents call her my 'lifepartner' and say that they treat her 'like my husband' and also they say she's 'their other daughter.'

I call my would-be inlaws my outlaws.

[question everything]

6. Funny comment about the outlaws..

As long as she does not mind being called the husband..

Your parents sound really great.

[readmoreoften]

22. She's not "the husband"; she's my husband.

No, she doesn't mind. She'd be creeped out if I called her my wife, since she's pretty butch. And yeah my parents are great.

[emlev]

19. When marriage is outlawed...

only outlaws will have in-laws.

My thanks today to everyone who worked to make this day possible. And that means everyone, including all of the gay- and lesbian-parented families out there just livin', showing people that it's not a lifestyle, just life.

[emlev]

20. clarification

In case anyone is tempted to misinterpret my joke...

I look forward to the day when the State no longer has any say in anyone's relationships. Until that day comes, if the State is going to sanction some primary relationships, it should sanction the relationships of all who seek that sanction, regardless of sexual orientation.

[readmoreoften]

21. agreed.

I'm not crazy about the State, but inequality is unacceptable.

[HockeyMom]

4. My daughter's partner's kids call her

by her first name. But they are teenagers anyway, so--------------!

[unpossibles]

7. it depends on the person and relationship

I know some male-male couples who refer to each other as "husband" and another couple where one refers to his partner as his "wife" although that has a bit of sarcasm behind it. "Partner" seems to be the most popular among my friends, but then again, I live in Ohio where it's not legal to marry.

[baby_mouse]

8. I;m not married, but I'd probably go for "spouse" or "partner" if I was...

... although "partner" doesn't carry the meaning of marriage and "spouse" just sounds like a nasty word. It sounds like an insect or something. I dunno.

I think if I had kids, they could probably call us "Dad" and "Pop".

[BeeBee]

9. Right now we call each other "partner."

After Saturday we'll call each other "husband."

The license application was changed to be gender-neutral. It now says "Party A" and "Party B".

[BeeBee]

12. We're also raising my partner's 15 year-old cousin.

He calls us "Uncle G" and "Uncle BeeBee."

[jumptheshadow]

24. Mazel Tov!

Have a beautiful wedding day!

[Rowdyboy]

10. Its "partner" for us....as for children, they call us uncle Steve and Uncle Michael....

Thank God we don't have any of our own!

That was easy!

[damntexdem]

11. "Hey, you" often works. Or "honey," depending.

And for kids, the important thing is having the parents, loving and caring parents -- what they call them is secondary.

[question everything]

13. Makes sense when you are an adult (or almost)

but for small kids they do need to call them something, even if to cry about a bad dream or a fall from a bicycle.

And, I suppose, when they see other kids calling the important adults in their life mommy or daddy, they may wonder why they should not.

As you say - loving and caring for the kids is the most important thing; introducing them to their own different world should take place in small steps, as they grow up (I would think).

[Zuiderelle]

14. I know some parents who are Mom 1 and Mom 2; Mom and Mommy; Mama and Mom;

Another pair who are Mommy and Mima. For us it is "Mommy" and "Mommy D" (substituting my first initial for the D), because our child was already born when I came into the picture. Although he does call me "Mommy" sometimes, and sometimes he calls me "My D____" when referring to me to others, and sometimes he just calls me "silly." :D

We call each other "partner."

[and-justice-for-all]

15. Spouse is good..nt

[Moloch]

16. Usually just husband or wife...

Do be careful what you say on this forum, as you've entered a place where semantics always trumps substance and Barack Obama and Barney Frank are considered to be more horrible anti-gay bigots than Fred Phelps.

[question everything]

18. Barney Frank???

that's news to me.

By the way, some of us once opened a dictionary to read the full description of "husband" and "wife" - not they are not equal and since then have been using "spouse" whenever we think about it.

[readmoreoften]

23. This is the LGBT forum. That means for LGBT people and their allies.

Not irritating hecklers who come here to insult people, then lob out half-hearted apologies when they get shit from on high. Stop fucking hijacking every thread.

[Moloch]

28. Nope. Never got a message from a moderator.

I apologized for some of my posts about transgendered people, and I've never posted anything on the subject since. Look at this forum. Obama (the Democratic nominee and the next president) is attacked and vilified as the worst homophobe. Its not heckling at all.

[Zuiderelle]

29. That's an outright lie. No one has called Obama "the worst homophobe"

And since he won the nomination, most of the criticism of him has died down, with the exception of valid criticism that we would have of anyone who doesn't support our unqualified equality.

And your "apology" has shown to be completely hollow, whether or not you've posted anything else about it.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

25. bullshit.

[Zuiderelle]

26. Seriously? You need to give it a rest.

Your obviousness is showing.

:eyes:

[LostinVA]

27. I'm sorry you're offended by people calling you on your bigotry

[Der Blaue Engel]

30. "you've entered a place where semantics always trumps substance"

Really, damkira. Why don't you just petition Skinner for the abolition of this forum if you think it's so dreadful?

Better yet, stop coming here and being abusive to everyone. You've worn out your welcome.

[racaulk]

31. I second that! n/t

[mitchtv]

32. OH ,jesus mary and joseph

not your Bullshit again

[LostinVA]

17. I call Haruka my wife and that's what she calls me

Before we got married, we called each other "fiance."

We don't have kids, just pets, so they pretty much don't call us anything.