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Dispatches from the FrontTwo gay men will apply for marriage license in Columbus by Rev. Marj Creech February 8, 2003 Two of my friends, Byron and Steve, are applying for a marriage license this Friday, Feb.14, at the Franklin County Courthouse at 11:00 am, 373 South High Street. Gay and lesbian people around the world are doing the same thing this Valentine's Day. This is a courageous action they are taking,; it comes out of their deep conviction for justice and fairness for ALL people and out of the love they have for each other. Won't you join us to support them? Or perhaps you and your partner would like to also apply. Below are both their statement and Rev. Troy Perry's, founder of Metropolitan Community Churches. Thank you, Rev. Marj Creech, Pastor of God's Promise MCC of Granville I, Byron Yaple, am 53 years old, my life-partner Stephen Watson is 48 - we have been a couple for 2 years 3 months and plan on having a Holy Union this year, since we are denied the legal Right to Marry. We are active and avid Christians, loving follwers of Jesus Christ and members of New Creation Metropolitan Community Church in Columbus, Ohio. We feel it is important to encourage local, city, state and national governments to take another look at the justice and equality of their laws and edicts on the "state" and contract of Marriage, especially concerning the GLBT Community and it's citizens of this country, state and city. We are planning on doing as Rev. Troy Perry suggested in his letter to the M.C.C. members - Go to our municipal court house on Valentine's Day, February 14th, and apply for a marriage license. And if our request is rejected, we will politely thank the official, and tell them that we believe in equality for all people under the law and that we will be back next year on Valentine's Day to apply again. We are also attempting to demonstrate to our governments the sincererity and depth of our love and also the unfairness of the restrictive marriage laws. And we continue to pray for our government leaders to be bold and indeed just in looking at changing existing laws to be more equitable to all citizens of our land. A Message From Rev. Troy D. Perry, MCC Founder and Moderator 7 February 2003 Dear Friend: I am writing to you this morning to share some exciting information -- and to invite you to join me in historic events taking place around the globe one week from today, on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14. Let me explain: One month ago, I announced plans that Phillip, my wonderful partner of 18 years, and I had made for Valentine's Day. Before my life is over, one of my dreams -- my goals! -- is for Phillip and me to be legally married, a legal right still denied to gays and lesbians in my country. While MCC churches have worked for more than 34 years to bring equality to the marriage laws, I feel an increasing sense of urgency to invest my life in this important issue for our communities. So Phillip and I decided that on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14 -- a day devoted to expressions of love -- he and I would do something we have never done before: We are going to the Marriage Bureau in Los Angeles and we're applying for a marriage license. Now, because the marriage laws still exclude lesbian and gay couples, we know the odds are that our application will be denied. But we are not deterred. We plan to use this occasion as a learning event -- we're inviting the media and the press to join us, and we plan to use this opportunity to explain why God's gay and lesbian children should be entitled to full equal rights, including marriage rights. Well, we announced our plans one month ago and since then the most amazing things have happened. I began to get letters and e-mails from people around the world who said they planned to do the same thing in their towns and cities. Messages came from across the US, and from Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Great Britain, and Spain. Many were asking how they could participate and how they could organize such an event in their community. So our staff prepared an Action Kit complete with organizing ideas and sample press releases. And in the past three weeks, almost 500 couples have written to request a copy of this Action Kit. And something else happened. I began to get phone calls from newspapers, magazines, reporters -- all wanting to know about our same-sex marriage actions on Valentine's Day. In between meetings and travel, I have spent time answering reporters' questions, conducting press interviews, and appearing on radio talk shows. The response has been amazing -- and I am convinced that God is going to use our actions on Valentine's Day to carry our message of love and GLBT equality to our society. Email this article to a friend |
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