Among the many stories about tomorrow's marriages, two in Moorhead and St. Peter stand out for Bluestem.
In the Fargo Forum, Cali Owings reports in Midnight marriages mark historic moment:
Justin Metz said the realization that he’ll be able to legal marry his partner, Richie DePaolis, finally hit him Tuesday night.“I was all of a sudden like, it’s really happening now,” said Metz, a teacher with Fargo Public Schools.
It’s been a whirlwind year for many of the 18 couples who were set to wed just after midnight today in the Clay County Courthouse, minutes after same-sex marriage became legal in Minnesota. . . .
It’s an even wilder ride for Metz and DePaolis, who will close on a home in Moorhead later this month.
Metz said they want to move from West Fargo to Minnesota, where their new marriage will be recognized in addition to other protections the state now affords same-sex couples.
“If North Dakota has spent its legislative session working to restrict our rights, and Minnesota spent its legislative session working to expand them, our taxes would be better spent in the state of Minnesota,” Metz said.
And in the St. Peter Herald, Jessica Bies reports in St. Peter men among first same-sex couples to marry in Nicollet County that Rob Thomas and Joe Strong, who've been together for 17 years, will tie the knot. An announcement elsewhere in the paper notes a 10:00 a.m.wedding.
Both men have been deeply engaged in St. Peter, a place the men say is "more than welcoming.' An employee of the St. Peter Food Co-op, Thomas recently received the Minnesota Food Share’s 2012 March Campaign Hero award and the Cooper Be Fabulous Award.
Bies reports a touching tale how the couple has been involved in the local schools--and how they're welcomed by parents in the high school:
Opening their home to several foreign exchange students, the two have also gotten to be an active part of St. Peter’s school system.
With tears, Thomas recalled how one of the boys, nominated for homecoming king, included the couple in a speech, referring to them as his favorite pair of dads.
Strong said other parents in attendance during the speech showed strong support for the two men’s commitment to the foreign exchange program.
The speech convinced them they were having a positive influence on the students that had lived with them. Many of them have kept in contact with the men, sending emails and Facebook messages, and one may even attend their wedding.
“We were able to certainly affect their lives in a positive way and show that this type of relationship can be just as loving as a conventional family,” Stong said.
Bluestem congratulation both couples.
Our friends at The Uptake are providing livestream of weddings in Minneapolis:
Minnesota's marriage equality law takes effect at tonight at midnight (July 31/August 1). At 12:01 AM Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will fufill his pledge to start marrying couples at City Hall. The UpTake will provide live video coverage of this starting at 8pm when the wedding guests and those who brought about the change in Minnesota's law celebrate at the Minneapolis Wilde Roast Cafe. Governor Mark Dayton is scheduled to speak at City Hall around 11:15pm and will be followed by Mayor Rybak.
Bluestem will replace the video when we get the new code.
Love is the law!
Photo: Justin Metz and Richie DePaolis, via WDAY 6 (above); Rob Thomas and Joe Strong of St. Peter (below).
If you enjoy reading posts like this on Bluestem Prairie, consider throwing some coin in the tip jar:
No words, just smiles. :-)
Posted by: Phoenix Woman | Aug 01, 2013 at 08:36 PM