Making His-Story

England's first gay civil partnership ceremonies took place throughout the country today. A total of 687 couples got hitched, among them Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish.

As for civil partnerships... I'm still not quite sure how I feel about them. It's certainly a big step forward - gay couples now get all the legal rights and financial benefits that heterosexuals enjoy with marriage. That has to be a good thing.

Most importantly, it's recognition. Instead of 'sick' or 'unnatural' or plain 'wrong', it's acknowledging that when two men or two women choose to spend the rest of their lives together, it just might possibly be 'love'. You know, like what straight people have, only without the risk of babies.

As Justin Ryan and Colin McAllister (C-list celebrities in a relationship of two decades) put it, "A greater show of commitment is being with someone for 20 years... we don't need a ring to prove it."

Furthermore - and this is me playing devil's advocate - should the worst happen and you go your separate ways, it makes things even messier. A breakup is painful enough without the added burden of having to legally disengage yourself from your partner.

Again, maybe that's just me being a cynical bitch, eh?

Today's not the day for such talk.