GAY PRIDE ISSUE Protecting Your Relationship: A Pride Month Reminder from London

Walking through London this week, I’ve felt a buzz of excitement as the city prepares for its Pride celebrations this weekend, July 5th and 6th. Rainbow flags are everywhere, signs announce parade routes and street closures, and you can sense genuine joy and anticipation in the air.

But as I take in the vibrant displays, it also hits home just how fragile our rights can be, those rights we’ve sometimes come to take for granted. Back in the United States, LGBTQ+ couples are facing renewed threats as MAGA politicians actively target our community, specifically aiming to overturn the right for gay marriages to exist. It’s a troubling reminder that even hard-won freedoms can be vulnerable to political shifts.

These unsettling developments underline the importance for every long-term gay couple to actively protect their relationship—not only emotionally, but legally, financially, and medically. Taking proactive steps now means safeguarding the rights that truly matter, regardless of political uncertainty.

Legal Protections: Don’t Assume You’re Covered

While marriage equality currently remains the law, the aggressive push by MAGA politicians to reverse that right puts us all on notice. Marriage alone might not guarantee the full protection of your relationship. It’s crucial to ask yourself:

• Are you certain your relationship’s legal status is completely secure, regardless of future political changes?

• Have you clearly documented your intentions to protect your partner’s rights if legal recognition of your marriage changes?

Legal clarity isn’t something you can afford to leave to chance, especially when politicians are explicitly threatening the legitimacy of your marriage.

Financial Security: Beyond the Basics

Financial protection means more than sharing a bank account or splitting expenses. It’s about having deliberate conversations around long-term financial plans, joint assets, property rights, and retirement benefits.

Couples often overlook this area until a crisis occurs. But now, with politicians openly challenging marriage equality, proactive financial planning has never been more essential. Understanding and clearly establishing your rights to shared property, benefits, and financial decision-making gives you peace of mind in uncertain times.

Medical Decisions: Protect Your Right to Choose

Imagine a scenario where your partner faces an unexpected medical emergency. Without clear, legal documents that protect your rights to make medical decisions for one another, your authority might not be respected, especially if marriage rights face new challenges.

MAGA-led political movements specifically targeting LGBTQ+ couples could lead to confusion or conflict about your healthcare rights. Proactively safeguarding medical decisions ensures that, no matter what changes occur, your partnership and your choices remain honored and protected

Regular Conversations Matter

Protecting your relationship isn’t something you can do once and then forget. It’s about regularly revisiting and updating your plans, documents, and conversations as circumstances evolve. Regular check-ins don’t just secure your rights but they also deepen your emotional bond, reaffirm your shared commitment, and ensure you're prepared for whatever comes next.

Empower Your Relationship Through Preparation

Watching London prepare for Pride reminds me how essential it is to actively protect the freedoms we’ve fought hard to secure. When politicians target our community, seeking to overturn our rights, it’s easy to feel vulnerable or uncertain. But choosing to proactively protect your relationship isn’t driven by fear. It’s a profound act of love and empowerment.

Taking intentional steps to secure your relationship legally, financially, and medically demonstrates your commitment, deepens your trust, and ensures that your rights and your love remain resilient.

In my workbook, Making Love Last, I guide couples through exactly what to consider and how to protect their partnership fully. It provides practical, clear steps to ensure your relationship remains strong, safe, and legally recognized, no matter the political climate.

If recent events have made you pause, consider it an opportunity and a chance to strengthen your relationship’s foundation by making sure you’re fully protected, no matter what the future holds.

👉 Learn how to safeguard your love and partnership in Making Love Last.

Dr Steve May

***** star review    “Dr. May has created an exceptional guide to help anyone deepen their relationship and make it last. This book is filled with honest and practical tools that help to break down walls, create connection, embrace vulnerability and build an abundance of trust.It is grounded in solid principles that, when lived authentically, will create absolute results.Want to be happy in your relationship? This formula will show you the way.“

Dennis L. Martodam