“Marriage is work. Sometimes it’s hard work, but it’s also good work. It’s more than worth the work.

That’s just one of the relationship lessons shared by Portland, Oregon couple Liz Schwartz and Beth Hamon. Perhaps the only unusual thing about their insight is the venue in which it appeared.

Schwartz and Hamon were profiled recently in Northwest Love Stories a series in The Oregonian, the state’s major daily newspaper, featuring the stories of long-lasting marriages.

Across the country, as Americans learn more about what marriage means to gay and lesbian couples, the majority in support of the freedom to marry continues to grow stronger. Stories like Schwartz and Hamon’s help those who may not know gay or lesbian couples understand that our hopes and dreams are not so different.

Basic Rights Oregon is a national leader in telling the stories of couples – gay and straight – reflecting on why marriage matters, their family values, and their journey to support of the freedom to marry. As they watch their neighbors to the north in Washington State decide whether to uphold the freedom to marry at the ballot this November, Basic Rights Oregon will continue building majority support to overturn Oregon’s constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples in 2014.