Personal Statements
Robin Dickerson and Khadijah Tribble
Robin Dickerson and Khadijah Tribble and their 4 sons are a family living together in Suitland, Maryland. The statement below was written by Khadijah Tribble.
When Robin and I first met, we didn't expect nor anticipate that we would be at the point where we are now in our relationship. Robin, a devoted mother of three, was working full time at a DC law firm while I was a working full time and being a single mom to my seven year old.
Fast forward a bit and here we are - Robin working full-time outside the home and me a full-time, stay-at-home mom to our collective 4 boys, ages 7, 11, 15, and 17. All of our boys are accepting of our not-so-traditional family structure.
On any normal day, we are just like any other family on our block. We rise with the sun getting ready for work and school. The kids haggle about who's next in the bathroom and procrastinate getting out of the door. During the day, I run errands for our family, including grocery shopping, stopping at the cleaners or returning books to the library. On occasion, when Robin's work schedule permits and our family demands allow, Robin and I get together for lunch to share a few minutes of "couple time" together.
Pretty routine huh?, except for a few things.
During the course of any given day, Robin and I are reminded of the rights we are denied as a couple unable to marry. We cannot get lower car insurance rates because we are single; my son and I cannot be covered under Robin's health insurance plan, so we are forced to pay for two separate plans; and we cannot file taxes as a joint family, thereby missing out on considerable tax breaks and savings. While both of our families love us and respect our relationship, neither one of us is sure that our family would remain in tact in the event of the other's death.
Not only do the current laws not protect our family, the laws do not even recognize us as a family. Should Robin, as the primary income earner of our family fall ill, I, as her partner, and my son, as her step-child, have no personal or financial recourse. If Robin's family or physician so choose, my son and I can even be barred from visiting her in the hospital, not to mention my being able to provide Robin with any tender loving care while she's hospitalized.
We, as a family, have no security as it stands right now because, again, our family is not considered a family in the eyes of the law.
What Robin and I seek is no different than any other couple who met and fell in love - the right to marry, raise a healthy, happy family and take care of one another without the interference of our families, friends and, of course, the government. We contemplate daily the extra burdens placed on our family, and how those burdens impede our ability to make very basic decisions for our family. We want the same tax breaks (and headaches) afforded couples like us who have the right to marry but happen to be male/female. We want the comfort of knowing that should either of us suffer an untimely death, our family's quality of life would not be diminished. And we also want the security of knowing that the government will not allow our families, friends and naysayers to tear apart the very family we've worked so hard to build, nurture and grow. Nothing more. Nothing less.
