Loving & Same-Sex Marriage

As the years go on I perform more and more same-sex weddings. Many New York couples are marrying in Connecticut and thanks to Governor Patterson, those marriages are recognized and given the same rights as all other marriages in New York State. I, of course, travel to Connecticut in order to perform a wedding for loving couples of every sexual orientation who desire a meaningful, elegant, ceremony experience.

Those who have an appreciation for history know that this is not the first time that loving couples have had to leave their home state in order to marry. June 12, 2007 marked the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia - a landmark civil rights case in which the United States Supreme Court ended race-based restrictions on marriage. On that day, Mildred Loving voiced her support for ALL to have the freedom to marry.
She said:

“Richard and I took our case for the freedom to marry all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. And on June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that, “The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men [and women],” a “basic civil right.”
My generation was bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right... But I have lived long enough now to see big changes.

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don’t think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the “wrong kind of person” for me to marry.
I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.”


Cheers for love, Loving and marriage equality!