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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 5, 2004)
Wedded Bliss How sweet it was In line at the Multnomah Building on March 3 by Meg Daly • Quotes compiled by Meg Daly and Floyd Sklaver • Photos by Marty Davis t ’s not the way some would dream of getting married: outside a dull brick building in the rain, with micro phones and cameras for a chuppah and a delusional C hristian hatem onger serenading from the street. But, damn, was it rom antic when the Rev. G lenna Shepherd of M etropolitan C om m unity C hurch of Portland performed her first two lesbian weddings of the day on the steps of the M ultnom ah Building. There were flowers, kisses, cheers and none too many a dry eye. Shepherd, a silver-haired and sprightly woman, had dressed in her reverential best: black suit with white collar. Her first couple had been waiting in line since 3 a.m. for their license and, bleary-eyed, stepped into the spotlight. “In the name of G(xl I take you to he my life partner,” recited Abby Haywcxxl, following Shepherd’s prompting. “To give and receive...to inspire and respond....” A cone of silence had descended on "I just love this town. the scene. T he crowd was aware of wit nessing history, and also something sacred and private. “Abby, I give you this ring as a sign of my vow," repeated Jamie Bolyard, Haywtxxl’s partner of two years. “W ith all that I am and all that I h av e....” The rings they had brought were now placed on one another’s fingers. And then a big, passionate kiss sealed the deal, caught on camera for all the world to see. T he new brides were besieged with reporters afterward, learning the hard way what straight couples have bemoaned for years: Your wedding is never just for you. I arriage to me is like the ulti- mate com m itm ent,” one woman in line remarked. She and her partner have been together more than two decades and had longed for this day to come. They sttxxl in stark con trast to the 20-something lesbian couple next in line, for whom the right to marry | \ We fought over the dress and so we "I feel like I'm in line "a t a Disneyland ride. " — Julia Ryan can now he a founding aspect of their rela tionship, rather than a denied privilege. N ot all the queers outside the county building felt so misty about the institution of marriage. Some were matter-of-fact about their desire to just get the gixxls a marriage license would confer. “We had a com m itm ent ceremony last year in San Francisco," one male couple said. “So we’ve done the pomp and circumstance, and now we want all the legal rights that are entitled to us.” Others weren’t so sure about the whole “forever” thing. Through a mouthful of bagel, one woman joked that the only way she could have gotten her partner to marry her is if it were a political action. So, she said, she had lucked out. “I think what marriage means to same- sex couples in a lot of ways is exactly the same thing it means for heterosexual cou ples,” a 52-year-old s<x>n-to-be wife opined. A nd that meaning, as we all know, is more varied than, well, even a rainbow. j n — Shannon Lemly compromised on the tu xe d o ." — Rick Raymen, who was dressed in formal wear while waiting in line F R E E H IV T E S T IN G Even- Thursday Hoars: 5:00-6:30 Harm ReduclMi Center „ C R O W N AD V E NT U R E S Electric Corporation 3701 E. Fourth Plain Vancouver, Washi \ / Needle i i t t Anonym odi Sex-Positive 360-397 8098 h M emorial C enter • C remation a B urial “Family Owned and Operated On-Site Crematory Lowest Cost We *re Here to Help! ” 8974 SW Tualatin Sherwood Road Tualatin, OK 97062 (503) 885-7800 www.ANewTradition.com m M IO M 4 M S f r t c . n r r n r t e n t a » r Adventure Club for Women Activities Include: Hiking. Biking, Kayaking. Volleyball. Snowshoeing. and a lot more. RESIDEdTIfll RFUJIRIflG SPECIALISTS com m eRCifli 6 IflDUSTRIRl 503-233-7551 135 RE 9th Avenue* 97216 uMuui.abcelectriccorp.net ; it l i 'M W Seruing Greater Portland Area Since 1955 licensed • Bonded • Insured • C C B I I 288 Call Nikki Becker, owner East Bank Commerce Center 1001 SE Water Ste 220 503-233-4567 www missfitadventures com
