The rights of same-sex couples should not depend on whether they married before or after a particular date. Moreover, whether or not a couple is entitled to have their marriage respected by the government should not depend on whether they married before or after a certain date. We cannot have one set of laws for some Californians, and another set of laws for others. It is nonsensical that some same-sex couples are recognized as married in every respect, including their formal legal status, and others can only be given the rights and responsibilities of marriage but not the designation of "married." This is an extremely confusing and demeaning situation, and one that should make all Californians ashamed of the mess we have created in this state by denying equality to some families. We are better than this.