Six years ago, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom officiated the first same-sex marriage in nation. Since then, gays have had their rights tossed around this way and that like mouse in the claws of a cat. But now, the days surrounding Valentine’s day has become a day of protest over the inequality we face.
Wedding cake from OC's Center, commemorating the first day of legal gay marriage in California
These protests, however, are getting more and more clever each year. Here’s a recap of what went down last week:
San Francisco: About two dozen same-sex couples applied for (and were denied) a license to marry.
New York City: Civil disobedience! About two dozen same-sex couples applied for (and were denied) a license to marry at the New York City Marriage Bureau. Queer Rising, a new activist group, staged a sit-in at the. Four were arrested.
Buffalo, NY: Kitty Lambert applies for a marriage license to wed her partner Cheryl–the couple had been together for decades. She is denied. So, instead, she applies for a license to marry a stranger. A man named Ed (not sure of his last name) volunteers. Ed and Kitty are now married.
Is this entire project a mockery of marriage? Not at all! It’s completely within the legal rights of Brian and any other heterosexual couple with $123.50 (plus $6 for a standard marriage certificate). Sound absurd? Not nearly absurd as denying the equal right to marry for same-sex couples who truly care about each other; who’ve been in committed, productive and, most importantly, loving relationships for upwards of 20+ years. That, to Brian, and millions of Americans who believe in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, is truly absurd – to say nothing of a civil injustice.
Hannah Miller took him up on his offer, and they got married Feb 12, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Teevee Land: Sarah Silverman makes the women of The View feel like assholes, calls marriage “a country club that doesn’t allow blacks or Jews”.
OK, that’s not a protest. I just think she’s really funny. Sarah Silverman is one of several celebrities who have promised to refrain from marriage until its legal for everyone.
Personally, I love Kitty and Brian’s efforts to underscore the absurdity of our marriage laws. But I’d love to see more civil disobedience like Queer Rising plans. If your local Marriage Bureau or County Clerk isn’t going to issue licenses fairly, why should they be allowed to do so at all? I can’t wait to report of the first agency that gets shut down because of these protests (or better still, the unwillingness of public servants to uphold discrimination.)
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