How Delaware's Marriage Equality Vote Inspired Senator Karen Peterson to Publicly Come Out

Just as Delaware was preparing to become the 11th state to pass marriage equality, Democratic State Senator Karen Peterson surprised many when during a televised State House debate on the legislation, she came out publicly as a lesbian, referring to her relationship with her longtime partner, Vicki.

Peterson, who has served as Senator from the ninth district for over a decade, said she was compelled to come out after listening to some of the misguided comments around HB75, the same-sex marriage bill. The Stanton Democrat said that because her constituents knew her as a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen, she felt she could put a familiar face on the struggle for equal rights.

"Neither of us chose to be gay, any more than heterosexual people chose to be straight," Peterson said. "Nobody gets to make those decisions any more than we decide to be tall, short, black or white. We are what God made us. We don't need to be fixed. We're not broken." The pinnacle of Peterson's moving speech and perhaps most oft quoted comment from the debate came when she said to her fellow legislators who opposed the bill, "If my happiness somehow demeans or diminishes your marriage, you need to work on your marriage."

The crowd applauded her comments, and the bill later passed by a vote of 12-9. Gov. Jack Markell promised to sign it, saying, "Delaware should be, is and will be, a welcoming place to live, love and raise a family for all who call our great state home."

"The whole reaction has been pleasantly surprising, with so many positive comments from constituents," said Peterson. "Think it put the punctuation at the end of the debate. I wouldn't have done it if I felt for one minute it would overshadow the hard work that has been done by Equality Delaware."

Gay rights groups have applauded her decision to come out.

"Sen. Peterson did a really wonderful thing," said Dan Rafter, a spokesperson for HRC. "She showed opponents of equality that LGBT people, they're really a part of every single community. They're our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues."

Peterson and her partner of 24 years, Vicki, entered into a same-sex civil union on Jan. 1, 2012, the first day state law allowed. The new marriage legislation for Delaware will take effect on July 1. It abolishes a prohibition against same-sex marriages established in 1996, and provides a mechanism for automatically converting civil unions to marriages after one year. Now, the two will be legally wed.