[jccc]

"After two years of living together, they became common-law husbands."

David Miranda: "I never met anyone like Glenn — he's my husband and I don't know where either of us would be without each other."

Greenwald: "They [the goons who detained Miranda at Heathrow airport] humanized the story, and they gave a platform for my charming and admirable husband to speak out."

http://www.buzzfeed.com/natashavc/david-miranda-is-nobodys-e...

Regardless of whether they are technically, legally married according to a particular definition, they consider themselves to have been married for 10+ years, and actually do seem to have some legal basis for that view.

BTW, I can think of other minority populations that historically have been named by the majority with diminutive words -- language that intuitively sees that population as less legitimate. Perhaps a good rule of thumb is to call people what they want to be called, and default to the respectful choice if we don't know.

(Full disclosure: I am a man married to a man.)