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Mar. 4th, 2004 11:21 am"News Release
For Immediate Use
Contact: Sean Kosofsky; 313-537-3323, ext.105 or 248-761-2886
LOVE DENIED A MARRIAGE LICENSE
Six Couples Seeking Marriage Turned Away
by Wayne County Clerk
(DETROIT, 3 March 2004)---- The first gay couple to apply for a marriage license at the office of the Wayne County Clerk, Kevin Love and Darryl Lawson, were turned away after being told that state law prevented the Clerk from granting their request.
Love and Lawson, both of Detroit, were disappointed Wednesday, but vowed to continue their effort to have their relationship legally recognized by the State of Michigan.
A total of six couples attempted to obtain marriage licenses Wednesday. All were denied but took the material supplied by the Clerk's office, including a license application and a copy of the Michigan law cited by the Clerk as the basis for refusing to grant the applications.
"The Clerk's office was very polite and respectful, but made it clear that their hands were tied," said Jeffrey Montgomery, Executive Director of Triangle Foundation. "It was really moving to see these couples come forward, knowing they would be turned away, but making the statement of their hope to be treated equally and a strong public declaration of the value of their love and relationships. It's a shame that the County is bound by a reactionary legislature to deny these people what any heterosexual couple takes so much for granted."
Meanwhile, outside of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, about 100 gays, lesbians and supporters rallied to seek legal recognition of "same-sex" civil marriage. The occasion was also used as an opportunity to decry recent comments by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick that he is against "gay marriages."
The rally, and the six couples' attempt to obtain licenses, comes at a time of amplified discussion of the issue at the local, state and national level. George Bush has injected his support of discrimination into the U.S. Presidential campaign by his endorsement of a Federal Constitutional Amendment to ban same-sex marriage. In Michigan, as early as next week, the State House of Representatives may also vote on a similar amendment proposition for the state, and in Detroit, City Council is expected to take up the issue of Domestic Partnership Benefits in the near future.
"This is political pandering at its worst," said Susan Horowitz, organizer of the rally and publisher of Between the Lines, Michigan's leading GLBT newspaper. "It is clear President Bush and the Mayor are using our lives and relationships as political cannon fodder to galvanize his hard-right, conservative base in this election season."
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The reason I posted this is because we can't do that here in Cincinnati, not right now. We can't afford to make such a bold stand right now. Not when the city is going to be voting on Article 12 in November. The voters are already getting shaky because of gay marriage. Several people that I talked to on Tuesday said they would only vote to repeal it if it didn't have anything to do with gay marriage. So obviously taking that kind of stand with City Hall would be VERY BAD at this time.
And that's just sad.
For Immediate Use
Contact: Sean Kosofsky; 313-537-3323, ext.105 or 248-761-2886
LOVE DENIED A MARRIAGE LICENSE
Six Couples Seeking Marriage Turned Away
by Wayne County Clerk
(DETROIT, 3 March 2004)---- The first gay couple to apply for a marriage license at the office of the Wayne County Clerk, Kevin Love and Darryl Lawson, were turned away after being told that state law prevented the Clerk from granting their request.
Love and Lawson, both of Detroit, were disappointed Wednesday, but vowed to continue their effort to have their relationship legally recognized by the State of Michigan.
A total of six couples attempted to obtain marriage licenses Wednesday. All were denied but took the material supplied by the Clerk's office, including a license application and a copy of the Michigan law cited by the Clerk as the basis for refusing to grant the applications.
"The Clerk's office was very polite and respectful, but made it clear that their hands were tied," said Jeffrey Montgomery, Executive Director of Triangle Foundation. "It was really moving to see these couples come forward, knowing they would be turned away, but making the statement of their hope to be treated equally and a strong public declaration of the value of their love and relationships. It's a shame that the County is bound by a reactionary legislature to deny these people what any heterosexual couple takes so much for granted."
Meanwhile, outside of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, about 100 gays, lesbians and supporters rallied to seek legal recognition of "same-sex" civil marriage. The occasion was also used as an opportunity to decry recent comments by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick that he is against "gay marriages."
The rally, and the six couples' attempt to obtain licenses, comes at a time of amplified discussion of the issue at the local, state and national level. George Bush has injected his support of discrimination into the U.S. Presidential campaign by his endorsement of a Federal Constitutional Amendment to ban same-sex marriage. In Michigan, as early as next week, the State House of Representatives may also vote on a similar amendment proposition for the state, and in Detroit, City Council is expected to take up the issue of Domestic Partnership Benefits in the near future.
"This is political pandering at its worst," said Susan Horowitz, organizer of the rally and publisher of Between the Lines, Michigan's leading GLBT newspaper. "It is clear President Bush and the Mayor are using our lives and relationships as political cannon fodder to galvanize his hard-right, conservative base in this election season."
----------
The reason I posted this is because we can't do that here in Cincinnati, not right now. We can't afford to make such a bold stand right now. Not when the city is going to be voting on Article 12 in November. The voters are already getting shaky because of gay marriage. Several people that I talked to on Tuesday said they would only vote to repeal it if it didn't have anything to do with gay marriage. So obviously taking that kind of stand with City Hall would be VERY BAD at this time.
And that's just sad.
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