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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 5, 2004)
marnh *S. ?004 » J w t — t| ITTîTîTTTïïTRTl new s Tay Ju n cker (left) and K athy Beige rejoice after getting married Feb. 15 at San Francisco C ity H all what will happen to the state’s recently passed domestic partner law, which goes into effect next year, is anyone’s guess. But, in the meantime, “I felt like we were part of this political event and move ment,” Beige says. “I’ve been an activist for many years, and this is huge.” j n FLOYD S klaver is a Portland free-lance writer. F lowers from the H eartland PALM SPRINGS! Call on one of Palm Springs’ most trusted Realtors JOHN BUTLER o f Jay M ar g rey & A ssociates Grassroots campaign demonstrates the power of the Internet by Floyd S k la v er A t noon, Crane continues: “Florists en ortlanders Beth Crane and Deb Zang had been waiting in line at San Fran masse started showing up with those long flower boxes in one arm and the other arm filled with cisco City Hall for seven hours when beautiful bouquets, each different. They were they were approached by two men. “Here these are for you,” they said, like: ‘Take a bouquet. People are sending flow handing the stunned couple an arrangement of ers from everywhere.’ ” white roses and pink carnations. “We’re not get The campaign was so successful that many San Francisco florists were turning customers ting married today, but you are. We want you to away. That’s when Darren Barefoot, a straight have these.” man in Vancouver, British Columbia, enlisted Crane and Zang, who have been together for the help of friends. He started a Web site, Row eight years, were overwhelmed by the gesture and didn’t know they were beneficiaries of a grassroots ers for A1 and Don, where anyone could donate even just a few dollars via PayPal. Barefixit’s movement begun two days earlier in Minneapolis. friends in San Francisco take the money and buy There, gay co-workers Greg Scanlan and Timothy Holtz were perusing photographs of happily mar flowers from wholesale markets. They then dis tribute them among waiting couples. In less ried couples and wistfully saying how they wished than a week, the site has collected more than they could be a part of it. Suddenly, Scanlan $10,000 from 600 donors. remarked, “If you can’t be there, send flowers.” Meanwhile Chase and Zang still cherish Scanlan and Holtz began surfing the Web their bouquet and the memories. “ I don’t until they located a gay-friendly florist who was know whether it was from men or women, a happy to help. They each asked the florist to straight couple or gay,” says Chase, “but that’s deliver a bouquet to anyone at City Hall with a note that said simply, “With love, from Min what made it so magical. It felt like a gift from the universe.” neapolis, Minnesota.” Not satisfied, that night Scanlan and Holtz Contributions to F lo w ers FOR A l AND D o n can wrote an e-mail to about 60 friends explaining be made at www .darrenbarefoot.com /flowers. what they had done and asking them to do the same. That e-mail was forwarded to others, then picked up by blog gers and online commu nities everywhere. San Francisco florists stxin were inundated with requests from around the world, and the Flowers from the Heartland cam paign had begun. “1 started crying when 1 opened the card,” said the still giddy Crane, who had been in line since 4 a.m. “It said, ‘Congratulations, much love from Lansing, Michigan.’ That’s where While waiting in line to get married, Beth Crane (left) and Deb Zang received a bouquet from an anonymous donor in Lansing, Mich. I grew up.” P 760-323-5000 x 145 johnbutler3 6@verizon. net (£h Prudential California Realty in ■ ■ I ‘Everyone behind you has zero chance of getting in. Those in front have a 1 percent chance.’ ” Juncker continues: “This guy in front of us kept saying, ‘It’s not important if we get in, it’s just important that we’re here.’ And we’re like, ‘Fuck that, we’re getting in.’ ” So wait they did, along with hundreds of oth ers. Despite blustery winds and occasional rain, the mood was festive. “It was amazing,” Beige says. “People were coming down the line with gifts and food and cookies. One woman brought bubbles.” She continues: “This straight couple came up and said, ‘Our gay friends gave us so many things when we got married, and we just want ed to give back.’ So she went to Bed Bath &e Beyond and bought picture frames and was handing them out. It was our first wedding gift.” Finally, at 3:30 p.m., after eight hours of wait ing, the mayor’s liaison came out again. Beige and Juncker held their breath as he pointed to the woman in the white sweater. “Everyone from her forward is going to get married today,” he announced to jubilant cheers. “We started jump ing up and down and screaming and hugging each other,” Juncker says. “We were just ecstatic.” Whether these marriages will remain legal and
