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This was a headline this morning on my computer sign-in-screen! Richard
03-03-2010 04:24 AM PST |By JESSICA GRESKO, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (Associated Press) --
Same-sex couples can start applying for marriage licenses Wednesday in Washington.
Supporters say couples planned to line up before the city's marriage bureau opened at 8:30 a.m., and officials at the courthouse were expecting 200 or more people.
At least 16 couples were waiting at 7:15 a.m. inside the city's Moultrie courthouse, which houses the marriage bureau and is just blocks from the U.S. Capitol.
Sinjoyla Townsend, 41, and her partner of 12 years, Angelisa Young, 47, claimed the first spot in line just after 6 a.m.
"It's like waking up Christmas morning," Young said.
Washington will be the sixth place in the nation where gay marriages can take place. Because of a mandatory waiting period, however, couples won't actually be able to marry in the District of Columbia until March 9. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont currently issue licenses to same-sex couples.
To deal with the expected crowd Wednesday, the marriage bureau will bring in temporary employees to help its regular staff, courthouse spokeswoman Leah Gurowitz said.
"Everybody who wants a marriage license is going to get one. It may take a little longer, but they will get their license," Gurowitz said.
To prepare, the marriage bureau has changed its license applications so they are gender-neutral, asking for the name of each "spouse" rather than the "bride" and "groom." And at civil marriage ceremonies to be performed in the courthouse, a booklet for the official performing the marriage now reads, "I now pronounce you legally married" instead of "I now pronounce you man and wife."
A marriage license application costs $35, and the marriage license $10. Couples who are already registered as domestic partners in the city can convert their registration into a marriage license by paying the $10 fee.
Supporters expected the day to be festive. A District of Columbia councilman who introduced the gay marriage bill planned to hand out boxes of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes to the first 200 couples in line.
Terrance Heath, 41, planned to be at the courthouse with his partner, Rick Imirowicz, 43. The two have been together for 10 years and have a 7-year-old and a 2-year-old, but Heath said Wednesday feels like "a step forward."
"My husband has always been my husband to me, but having that legal recognition, that legal protection, makes it easier to deal with any number of situations," said Heath, a writer and blogger. "If you tell people you're married, you don't really have to explain much beyond that."
The two, who live in Maryland, plan to marry on March 9, the first day possible.
The gay marriage law was introduced in the 13-member D.C. Council in October and had near-unanimous support from the beginning. The bill passed and D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty signed it in December, but because Washington is a federal district, the law had to undergo a congressional review period that expired Tuesday.
Opponents, however, are still attempting to overturn the bill in court.
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On the Net:
Superior Court of the District of Columbia marriage bureau:
http://www.dccourts.gov/dccourts/superior/family/marriage.jsp
Comments
Church, and State
It's a common assumption that Christian churches oppose gay marriage and that is why we don't have a secular right of marriage based in the equality of all people, regardless of sexual orientation.
There's a large amount of truth to that, but I'd like to tell you about at least one exception that I'm intimately familiar with.
While there are a number of large, rich and loud churches who militate against equal rights for our gay brothers and sisters, this is not a universally held Christian position. Some of those churches seem to think that if they idolatrously worship some of the words that they pick and choose from a book, they're somehow practicing the religion that Christ taught. As Ghandi said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.â€
However, other denominations strive to get back to the early teachings. They are more concerned with the principles of love and equality, those positions taught by Jesus himself, than they are with fundamentalist interpretations of words in a book collected and promulgated by a church hierarchy bent on a theocratic agenda. There are churches of conscience, who put more effort into promoting love, peace, integrity and equality through practice than they do in teaching exceptionalist dogma. I had the good fortune and pleasure to find one of them. It changed my entire view of Christianity.
Our little church doesn't believe that a third party "marries" a couple to each other. For one thing, this wouldn't be egalitarian. We believe that a couple chooses to marry each other, and the place of the church is to witness the event and take the relationship under the care of the community and support the couple spiritually. The upshot is, that after a certain amount of debate, which involved soul-searching, gnashing of teeth, and a large communal dose of sitting in silence and waiting for God's guidance on the subject, the body realized that they didn't have any reason not to do exactly the same for all couples as they have traditionally done for traditional couples. Although our state doesn't offer marriage licenses to same-sex couples, or recognize our rites when applied to same-sex couples, we've been treating all couples the same now for at least 10 years. We treat them the same within our community, recognize, nurture and care for their relationships and love them all the same.
So, while it's fair to object to the forces of oppressive theocratic politics, don't assume that's the only interpretation of Christianity. It's certainly not, in my view, the right one.
Strange you should post this now,
Seeing as how I just had a visit from a husband and wife team from the local Kingdom Hall (Jehovah's Witness). They seem to be a nice couple and all, but seemed to not be well versed in the bible or it's history. Suffice it to say, we had an interesting visit - drank tea and coffee, discussed biblical scripture and history and generally debated the word of God. They left with, what I hope is, a better understanding of Jehovah and his personal relationship with His followers, rather than the relationship of religious leaders with theirflock. I am thankful that I had my pc attached to the HDTV in the living room (the better to watch video with) and was able to pull up sites related to glbt issues and christianity.
Pippa, it is as you say, an issue with some branches of Judeo-Christian religions (I cannot speak towards others as I have not immersed myself in their traditions and history), and their leaders; it is the flock under the leadership that is led astray through false teachings and flase witness against others that cause the majority of the church's failings. If I might, I would like to recommend several other sites in overcoming the false interpretation of the bible and the histories inviolved in their decisions to be that way. The first I would recommendf would be Gay Christan 101 section on gay marriage, which hasd several links to other sites on the matter, but also their site in general which has much in the way of history and rebuttals to anti-gay scriptures. Next on the list, PFLAG Detroit has a good listing of biblical quotes and refutations. There are more out there, just follow the links or do google searches.
I guess the issue I have with most of the religions is their failure to read and learn from the Bible; in Ezekiel 16:49, for instance, we read "This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, exess of food and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy." Can anyone read that and not think of the prosperity and money in the Church (take your pick) and not see Sodom's excesses there? Sodom's sin was one of inhospitality, amongst many others (see Ezekiel 16:48-50) , not in homosexuality (at least not until 17 centuries later, in the thirteenth century). These and many other lessons I have learned through bible study and scouring the net with friends from church and discussions with them.
Ok, time to get off my soapbox now :P
Warmest hugs Pippa :)
Diana
edited for typos
Marriage, whose business is it anyhow?
For me, I wonder about the value of getting married legally. My social security would likely drop, and I don't care about any institution anymore. Oh, there is the bit about Health Insurance...
Does any of it matter?
Khadijah
Yes, it really does.
One GIGANTIC hurdle in front of me, is my desire to REMAIN married following transition, and hopefully everything else. I prefer to have my "marriage" to my wife to be legally recognized by the state, and such. I have lots of other reasons, but, for me, yeah, it does matter.
Annette