Valentine's Day Protest of DOMA 2004
You are all beautiful people! You may steal these pictures, but please credit them to Rev. Marj Creech of God's Promise MCC of Granville! My email is RisenRegan@core.com. I had a wonderful time, standing up for what I believe in. Hope you did, too! I love you all and I sincerely believe that the "Streets of Heaven " will be lined, not with gold, but with justice-seeking, and loving people such as you are! You may think, "what did we do?" or "what was the use?" Well, we got a LOT of press and TV and internet news mention. Every time someone stands up for justice, it makes a difference. It tends to multiply! It sure did in this case. As Haydn's sign points toward, "God Loves You!!!"
Could someone please send me the names of the woman and man just to the right of Haydn and Rebecca, in the picture below?
On Friday the Thirteenth, in honor of Valentine's Day, we staged a protest against Ohio's new and unjust DOMA law, at the Franklin County Courthouse. 60-70 people, GLBT and straight, young and old, braved the cold winds, and stood proud and angry at lunch time, as about 25 of us went inside the building, took the elevator to the 23rd floor, and got in line to get marriage licenses. After a few forms were given out to our same-sex couples, a Probate Court magistrate came into the room and announced, "All of you who are same-sex couples are going to be denied licenses. You must leave now; you are disrupting the working of this office. If you don't I will call security!" Some of us argued and refused to leave. One couple, Katherine and Dawn Kereluik, tried to get a copy of their legally obtained marriage license--one of them was born a man but had a sex-change operation-- but were told, "You obviously obtained it illegally!" Eventually all the couples returned peacefully to the waiting demonstrators outside. The diversity of this crowd demonstrates that there is broad support for gay marriage. There were heterosexuals, PFLAGers, Shepherd Initiative representatives, MCCers and MCC clergy, dogs, Socialist Workers members, law students from Akron, OSU college students, and mothers with children. Young Haydn Hamilton, who stood beside his mother Rebecca with his sign "God is Love," told me, "When I grow up, I am going to be known as the man who supported gay rights!" Thank you, Haydn, and all who were there!
I call this one, "Never be ashamed," after the sign held by Jake. at the left. The sign I really laughed at, though, was," Never be Ashamed of Love, Be ashamed of Ohio!"
Two Signs expressed similar ideas: "DOMA discourages love and commitment" and "DOMA promotes fornication, promiscuity, and child abuse." While I dislike the way "fornication" has been mistranslated from the Greek word "porneo" in the New Testament and has come erroneously to mean "any sex outside marriage," the signs point to the fact that those who oppose gay (GLBT) sexual expression are going to have to decide whether they want us "fornicating" or marrying! It is hypocritical to have different standards for gays and straights. "Hate is easy; love takes courage" says the sign on the right.
Re: the billbard in the background: were they all drunk when they signed Ohio's bigoted DOMA? What were they thinking? NOT!!!
And they accuse US of wanting special rights!!!
"Gay and straight"... The Socialist Workers Party was there to support gay rights. The sign in the mid-left says, " Gay Marriage couldn't possibly be more dysfuntional than straight marriage!" I read that Bush wants to spend 1.5 billion to help American marriages. What a slap in the face! We'll get married and stay that way for free!! Maybe we could teach the heterosexuals how to do it and they could pay US the 1.5 bill. Aren't we their therapists and social workers already? Hairdressers, too!
Everybody's looking at the baby! Does the Ohio legislature care at all about this baby who happens to be lucky enough to have two mommies? Sign to the right of mom says, "Sex is not sin, but hate is!
Jake and Chris. What's it like to really want to honor your relationship of love and commitment, but to risk shame and ridicule in public because you want to make a difference for people who are perhaps less courageous, but are also deserving of dignity and justice? photo by Scott J. Varner of Outlook News, used by permission
How many times will Steve and Byron have to fill out this form before they are granted a basic human right?
photo by Scott J. Varner
Joe and Leo: who would NOT want to marry these handsome and dignified men?
photo by Scott J. Varner
Can you see them at the altar? photo by Scott J. Varner
Guess who's applying for marriage licenses now? Remember when it was the first racially mixed couple?
photp by Scott J. Varner