This weekend was Pride, though unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure that that is something y’all are already aware of. And if you’re not, well, we need to have an entirely different conversation.

As I was scrolling through Facebook this morning, another blogger that I have crazy huge respect for made a statement that rang so true for me that I have to share it. “Human rights are not optional”. Megan, the kick ass babe behind EatPlayCbus, nailed with those five words.

Human rights are not optional.

The right to marry whomever you love (granted all parties of the legal age of consent and whatnot) isn’t something that should ever be up for debate.

Being there for the fun times, the really shitty times, the times that make you feel like you’re banging your head against a wall, (if you’be ever been married you know exactly what I’m talking about), the times of contentment, and the times that every couple dreads the most and hopes that they are years away from, being allowed into the ICU to make end of life decisions, to the seasons of life that are so full of joy that you feel like you could explode happiness everywhere, its all a part of being married.

The right to marry whomever you love (granted all parties of the legal age of consent and whatnot) isn’t something that should ever be up for debate.

And if two people want to tie that knot, rock on.

I am such a big believer that love is Love is Love that I forget that other people don’t see it that way. I will never tell someone what to believe, that’s up to each and every individual, but I will say this;

I will NEVER tolerate hateful words, towards anyone. It’s no different that bullying on the playground, in my opinion, and that’s something I didn’t tolerate then, and I most certainly will not tolerate it now. (Consider this fair warning to anyone who feels the need to post hateful speech anywhere on any of my various pages and social media channels, it will not be tolerated.)

Love is love is love. #columbusohio #khalifestylephotography #lgbtq Share on X

The same sex weddings that I’ve been blessed to be a part of and to photograph have been the most joyous and celebratory weddings that I’ve shot.

Earlier this year another photographer invited me to come and shoot with her at a styled shoot she had spent months working on, and I was thrilled to be asked. Once I’d expressed my excitement at joining her for a few hours, she rather tentatively brought up that it was a styled wedding shoot with two brides, and something in her voice and the way she led up to it made me look up from what I was doing, so that by the time she got to the twin brides part I was looking at her.

I will NEVER tolerate hateful words, towards anyone. It’s no different that bullying on the playground, in my opinion, and that’s something I didn’t tolerate then, and I most certainly will not tolerate it now

She was clearly waiting for my reaction with baited breath, unsure of what my response may be, and clearly was guarding herself for the worst. My response?

Fuck yes I’m in.

It breaks my heart that she’s clearly received some not so fantastic responses from others, and she herself is in fact heterosexual.

I second shot a wedding earlier this spring that was two of the coolest women I’ve had the chance to meet. As one of the brides brothers was giving his speech he talked about how brace these women were, and that he viewed them as heros for being willing to stand up and and proclaim their love for each other knowing that they would, and already had, faced such challenges.

It took me a minute to figure out what challenges he was talking about. The first thought that ran through my head was oh no, one of them is sick? It struck me in that moment, that to me, theirs was a wedding. Not a same sex wedding, not a lesbian wedding, just a wedding.