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here’s a certain uniformity to the
lives of parents of young children.
Play time, bath time, meal time,
nap time (blessed nap time!).
N ot surprisingly, two of the
interviews for this article were conducted during
children’s nap time, the rare moment the par
ents had to chat about the impact of changing
marriage laws on their own families.
Kelly Burke, m other of a 2 1/2-year-old, says
she doesn’t feel heroic being a part of the lawsuit
for marriage equality. “Maybe one day I’ll look
back on it as making history.”
In fact, none of the couples Just Out spoke
with were trying to be heroes. W hat they share
is the desire to do the right thing for their com
munities and families.
defending m arriage...they’ve done more to
degrade marriage by overlooking the love part
and the parts that are exactly the same.”
We want the option open
ouglas Dewitt and Dominick Vetri live on
a farm just outside Eugene with a small
flock of sheep, several baby lambs, two cats, one
dog and a blue heron that fishes in their pond.
They have been together 27 years and cele
brate their anniversary on Halloween because it
is “easier to remember and more fun," says Vetri.
Vetri, a law professor at University of Oregon, has
a teen-age son who lives with his two mothers.
Though Vetri, 65, and Dewitt, 53, are not
sure if they will decide to get married, they are
elated by the changes that have taken place in
In defense of love
Oregon this past month. “It’s a grand way of cel
ebrating the loving and caring that couples have
ulie Williams and Coleen Belisle have been
for each other, and protesting the discrimination
together five years. Instead of celebrating an
against our families,” says Vetri.
anniversary, every morning the two make a daily
W hat opponents to marriage equality need
commitment to one another. “We’re here for the
to recognize, Vetri adds, is that “committed rela
duration,” they say.
tionships are what’s important.”
Now that Benton G iu n ty seems intent on
“We live on your blcx:k,” says Vetri, “we pay
marriage equality, Williams and Belisle may just
taxes, our children go to school and play soccer
have an official anniversary. W hen the county
and baseball with your children, we work side by
announced it would issue marriage licenses to
side with you, we are in the armed services in
same-sex couples, Williams said, “We realized
Iraq, and we contribute immensely to our com
we wanted to.”
munities and to the nation.”
Williams, 41, was borp and raised in Corvallis
and teaches at the local high school. Belisle, 52,
Married, no matter the definition
has lived in Corvallis for 30 years. They say toler
ance rules in their hometown. “For people in
ne fateful day in 1987, Eugene activist
Girvallis, being discriminatory is more distasteful
Sally Sheklow was scheduled to be inter
than their feelings about queers,” says Williams.
viewed by her friend Enid Lefton, the host of a
Since the lawsuit was filed, Williams has had
local women’s music radio program. “W atching
a few disparaging remarks lobbed at her from stu
Enid behind the console.. .1 suddenly saw her in
dents driving by while she was coaching track.
a whole different light,” says Sheklow.
However, she says she has far more encouraging
The rest, we might say, is history. Well, actu
and supportive comments coming her way from
ally, Sheklow had to w (X ) Lefton for about a
colleagues, students and friends.
m onth before she began to reciprocate the “spe
“We’re doing this for the whole, for all of our
cial attention,” as Sheklow called it.
friends,” says Belisle.
Though they don’t yet have a marriage
The couple feel they are defending love.
license, they did celebrate a wedding at their
Williams says, “T he people that feel they’re
synagogue. It was “a nice Jewish wedding under
D
J
O
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