As our anniversary approaches, Ben and I are getting a coincidental little flurry of unwedding-related press. The lovely Ariel Meadow Stallings featured me as today’s Offbeat Bride. And next Sunday I’ll be part of an article in the Seattle Times Gender F magazine supplement about women who aren’t planning to get married. The panel discussion for the article was fascinating, and I’m really curious to find out what got into the final piece.
Meanwhile, Washington state is taking the extremely slow road to marriage equality with a domestic partnership bill that looks pretty certain to become law. I was shocked to read that only 29% of Washington voters support marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. I know that the state as a whole isn’t as liberal as Seattle, but it still seemed very low. I’d be curious to see a comparable survey back in Virginia, but my first fifteen minutes of research didn’t turn anything up and the dogged journalist in me is taking a break today due to over-consumption of wine at my other friend Ariel’s surprise birthday party last night.
Ooh, I’ll be in that issue of Gender F, too — wearing my wedding dress. :)
Thanks to John for hooking me up with a Washington Post opinion poll from October 2006. As he said, Northern Virginia is Seattle:
* 53% of likely voters supported the amendment banning gay marriage and 43 percent opposed it. (The amendment ultimately passed with 57% of the vote.)
* The only part of the state to oppose the measure was Northern Virginia, where voters rejected it 55 percent to 42 percent.
* Virginians are split over whether gay couples should be able to form civil unions, which would give them health insurance, inheritance benefits and other legal rights of married couples. The poll found that 48 percent believe gay couples should be allowed to engage in civil unions and 47 percent do not. (Civil unions are now off the menu, as they are banned by the marriage amendment.)
How nice to re-live the awesomeness that was your wedding. It was definitely up there in cool weddings I’ve attended, even in my exhausted eight-in-a-half-month-pregnant state.
The gay marriage issue continues to boggle my mind.When will the madness end?
I read the offbeat profile to day and was so happy to read about your planning process. Your ceremony was a wonderful event! You know, I still have a little crane in my office from that day…
I like that the proposal was special to you two as well. :)
I loved reading about your wedding and the planning. I had no idea you were commitment ceremonied and not legally “married”, like so many life-committed lesbians and gay men. I love the consciousness you bring to your life! You deserve a wine rip now and again.
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