When two people love each other and want to get married, shouldn't they? Assuming they're of legal age and competent and all that, why shouldn't they? And when they have or want to have children together, shouldn't marriage be an obvious choice? It wasn't too long ago that it wasn't always an option.

If the couple didn't have matching skin colors, for example, it was illegal for them to be married. The Supreme Court finally declared that unconstitutional in 1967, saying "Marriage is one of the 'basic civil rights of man,' fundamental to our very existence and survival.... Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not to marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State."

Fast forward forty years and we have "deja vu all over again." There is a group of people -- of families -- who are being denied the right to marry in most of this country. People with kids or who want kids are being discriminated against just as others were in the last century. And it's just as wrong. Take that same Supreme Court decision and substitute gender for race and you'll see what I mean.

A California group has put together a video explaining the situation and asking people to simply talk about it. The video features a lot of different people -- gay, straight, and children of gay parents -- talking about the issue and showing that being a family is not just about sex. It's a very moving piece and I highly recommend it, especially if you're unsure about the whole issue.

I know a lot of families where the parents are every bit as committed and loving as Rachel and I are, except that they can't get a piece of paper that says they're married. Most of them are probably much better parents than I am as well. And yet, this inequality exists in a country that claims to be all about equality. We need to show our children that we do believe in equality and sharing this video is a good place to start.