Scholars: With Marriage, Tradition Has Changed Over Time

By Brooke Adams | The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Link

The state of Utah so far has banked much of its legal argument against same-sex marriage on the assertion that such unions threaten the traditional, "age-old and still predominant," form of marriage: heterosexual, monogamous marriage.

That marriage form, the state says, has been the norm for Utah since its "very existence as a state" and it should not have to abandon the "deeply rooted definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman for a genderless definition that severs the link between marriage and the vital societal purposes it has always and everywhere served."

WE DID IT!!

Thank you all for your love and support! More pictures to come, we promise.

Same Sex Weddings Begin in Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — Same-sex couples are taking advantage of Hawaii's newfound aloha for gay weddings.

Six couples tied the knot early Monday, shortly after midnight, when a new law allowing same-sex couples to marry took effect.

A Waikiki resort was hosting mass ceremonies for anyone wanting to sign up, while a group of clergy who pushed for the new law planned to host a wedding for an openly gay Unitarian minister at a church near downtown Honolulu.

Hawaii's marriage laws allow couples to register for a license and be married the same day, a process conducive for tourists only in the state a short time.

Couples can sign up for a license online, then be verified by any license agent throughout the state.

Quinn Signs Illinois Gay Marriage Bill

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn today signed a historic measure into law making Illinois the 16th state in the nation to allow gay marriage.

The Democratic governor put pens to paper at a desk brought up from Springfield that his administration says President Abraham Lincoln used to write his first inaugural address. That speech, delivered on March 4, 1861 as the Civil War was unfolding, called on Americans to heed “the better angels of our nature.”

“Love never fails and I’m going to sign this bill right now,” said Quinn, who used many pens to sign his name to the bill so that those who helped pass the measure could have a souvenir.

Have You Heard of HJR-6 in Indiana?

What is HJR-6?

HJR-6 is a proposed amendment that would permanently alter the Indiana Constitution to define marriage and could potentially affect hundreds of rights related to marriage under current Indiana law.

In the 2014 legislative session, Indiana lawmakers can choose either to table or vote down the amendment or send it to voters for a statewide referendum next November. If it does not pass or is not called for action, our Constitution will be protected.

In addition to the duplicative and restrictive first sentence of the amendment, no one has been able to clearly define what effects the second sentence would have on existing marriages, domestic partner benefits, human rights ordinances, legal contracts and benefits for unmarried couples.

Freedom Indiana is committed to educating lawmakers and all Hoosiers about the amendment and the harm it could do to our state, our economy and our communities if it is permanently written into our Constitution.
HJR-6 Language

“Only a marriage between one (1) man and one (1) woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana.

“A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized.”

SIGN THE PETITION TO VOTE NO TO HJR-6

For more information: Freedom Indiana

Hawaii Joins 14 Others

Hawaii Joins 14 Others - Hawaii’s governor on Wednesday signed a bill into law making same-sex marriage legal in one of the first states where gays and lesbians couples sought the right to wed more than 20 years ago.

The Hawaiian legislature has approved same-sex marriage bill. The legislation now goes to governor for signature. KHNL's Mileka Lincoln reports.

Weddings can begin Dec. 2 in the Aloha state, which is the 15th to grant same-sex marriage. Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who supported the right of gays and lesbians to wed, had called the legislature into a special session to vote on the issue.

Same-sex marriages start in New Jersey

FROM CNN - Same-Sex marriages start in New Jersey

(CNN) -- Marsha Shapiro and Louise Walpin married each other for the third time early Monday. But this time, it was especially memorable: They were among the first to tie the knot after same-sex marriage became legal in New Jersey.

A rabbi first "married" the couple in 1992 in a Jewish ceremony. They married a second time in New York in August 2012 after same-sex marriage became legal there.

The third time was just after midnight Thursday in the Garden State. The couple helped pave the way there through a 2011 lawsuit that brought about the change. New Jersey now becomes the 14th state to recognize gay marriages.

Shapiro and Walpin were married in the home of state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, who championed same-sex marriage in the legislature.

Christie withdraws appeal on gay marriage

Throughout the state other gay couples exchanged vows in early morning ceremonies.

At the Newark City Hall, Mayor Cory Booker married seven couples, two of them heterosexual. He had refused to conduct any marriage ceremonies until same-sex marriages were legal in the state.

"It is officially past midnight," Booker said. "Marriage is equal in New Jersey."

Chris Christie drops challenge to same-sex marriages

High court clears the way

On Friday, the New Jersey Supreme Court denied the state's request to temporarily prevent such marriages.

Troy Stevenson, executive director of the gay rights group Garden State Equality, said last week that the high court's decision means "the door is open for love, commitment and equality under the law."

Anticipation...

Well this morning, I'm contemplating what has brought me to this day. I was too filled with excitement to wait for the alarm clock and got up an hour early. It's been a long twenty-three years in some respects and a blink-of-an-eye-and-you'll-miss-it in others.

I want to tell you about gratitude the way I feel it. There's someone in my life who genuinely cares about me in ways that I just don't understand. He recognizes me for who I am and what I can be. He understands when I'm a dork and still gets me, and still he loves me. Don't get me wrong. We have our issues when we're not listening to each other, or exhausted, or feeling needy. But I have the certainty that we will always find a way to work it out. I know that I have a companion, a friend, a love that makes me want to be more. More for him, and more for myself. I don't know if I can ever thank him enough for what he has brought to me, for what he continues to bring to me, for who he has allowed me to become.

There's so much more, but a ceremony awaits in the far-off land of Vermont. "See you at the altar, my love." And for the rest of you, if these twenty-three years are any indication, I can't wait to see the adventure ahead.

And So We Begin Again ...

They have settled in at last, and after adopting the obligatory pet, their beautiful Sophia, who remained with them through the next fifteen years.

Sophia

They began years of bliss setting up house and adjusting to life together. Two smart, strong willed young men, living a new “style” of life. For you see, they had no real role models. Trial and error with lots of adjustments had to be made. Family, friends, a new city (Evansville), and new jobs were added to the mix of the unfamiliar world they had entered. Together they forged ahead. A life with two men in one household, decisions had to be made. How would they live? Who was in charge?  Etc., etc....

For them, they found common ground early on. Like any other couple would, they would often have to remember how much they love each other and always ask themselves how much they were truly giving to the relationship. It turns out this same-sex relationship was like any other relationship. Commitment, honesty, and respect have been a constant through this union from the beginning. Like any other relationship, they have had their ups and downs, but the most important thing is that they persevered through, always remembering the commitment that they made to each other. If one slipped, the other was there to pick them back up. The knowledge of that safety net created a bond for them very early on and has made their connection even more secure, especially for the years that followed.

Oh, I know, it all sounds like something from a novel. But you see, after twenty three years of ups and downs, it has been a great benefit to them both to keep the focus on the good remembering what has made them not only strong individuals, but a strong team as well. Learning from the past, remembering the lessons, this is very important. For these are our lessons that we carry forward, the lessons that we teach from.  For we all are teachers, and we are all students. This we must never forget.Starting out as mere boys and with the help of many friends and family members, they grew into the upstanding men that we know and love today.

Justice Ginsburg to Officiate at Same-Sex Wedding

From the Washington Post - Ginsburg will be first justice to officiate at same-sex wedding

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will become the first Supreme Court member to conduct a same-sex marriage ceremony Saturday when she officiates at the Washington wedding of Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser.

The gala wedding of Kaiser and economist John Roberts at the performing arts center brings together the nation’s highest court and the capital’s high society and will mark a new milepost in the recognition of same-sex unions.

MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - SAME LOVE feat. MARY LAMBERT

Federal Taxes for Legal Same-Sex Marriages

All Legal Same-Sex Marriages Will Be Recognized for Federal Tax Purposes  From the Press Center of the U.S. Treasury on September 29, 2013, "WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today ruled that same-sex couples, legally married in jurisdictions that recognize their marriages, will be treated as married for federal tax purposes. The ruling applies regardless of whether the couple lives in a jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex marriage or a jurisdiction that does not recognize same-sex marriage." ...

MORE DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE THRU THE LINK ABOVE.

How We Met

A long time ago, they met, Justin and Tim, at a bar in Evansville, Indiana. It was July the third, and they danced - a dance that they have been dancing now for twenty-three years. For hours, they danced till they closed the place down. Then came breakfast, at Jerry's. Justin was with his friend Greg Hayden, who actually prodded the two of them together at the beginning of the night. "Thank you, Greg." It was decided that Tim would go back with them to Lewisport, Kentucky to Greg's home for his Fourth of July Barbecue.

Civil War Historic Marker

The Pate House, four miles east of Lewisport on KY-334,
is where 18-year-old Abraham Lincoln successfully
defended himself for operating a ferry without a license.
Judge Pate was so impressed by Lincoln that he encouraged
 him to study law, and the rest is history. Also on KY-334
 is the Emmick Plantation House, built in 1854 with
bricks made on the farm.

They followed Tim to his apartment to drop off his car and away they went. By this time the sun had just started to come up, and they all drug themselves in for a few hours of sleep. Greg lived in a cabin built in 1854. Later that morning people started to arrive and the party began. Kentucky barbecues start out really having no beginning, people just start to show up and then more come and more till it simply, well, becomes. Hours of prep work, tables of food, beer, laughter, and I think, as at all Kentucky barbecues, there was even a fight. Tim and Justin were never apart. Some things never change.

Some months later, they take the plunge. Justin comes to Evansville and they move in together, for what neither of them knew at the time would be ... for life ...

Welcome to Our Blog!

This is our first post to our Wedding Blog.  Welcome.