'WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO CALL IT SOMETHING ELSE?'

Canadians Ronald Siegmund and Robert Lawrence went to an Alberta registry office in downtown Calgary in August 2003 with a request to apply for a marriage licence. When refused, they lodged a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission, claiming they had been discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. Gay bashing is something the couple have long endured. In 2002, Lawrence, a provincial employee, launched a legal challenge that helped convince the Alberta government to extend survivor pension benefits to same-sex partners. For months afterwards, says Lawrence, he and Siegmund received death threats. Undaunted, the couple decided it was time to take another public stance, this time in support of gay marriage. Both men believe that if their reasons for wanting to get married were properly understood, the majority of Canadians would support them. It has to do with ensuring they have the same legal status as heterosexual spouses, including full pension and health-care benefits as well as a say in medical decisions should one of them become incapable of giving informed consent for treatment.