WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2014
M
NEWLYWED: a tradition continued with the progress of equality
continued from PAGE 1
TCP: H ow did you fe d w hen it
was overturned?
B urned: W hen it was overturned
that was a pretty big let dow n for a
lo t o f people, hu t it was especially
insulting because they sent us back
our m oney [for the marriage license.]
... I was angry, disappointed and it
was pretty crushing. You finally think
you’ve achieved recognition and then
they say “no, n o you haven’t ” I think
it was one o f the steps that probably
had to happen. W hen you’re n ot a
p art o f a m inority group it can seem
ready rem oved from you unless you
know people. Once you know people
and you know that they’ve been dis
crim inated against its very hard to
continue to say that it doesn’t matter.
Following the removal o f the ban on same-sex marriage, Clackamas English instructor, Carol Burnell (right) and
spouse Karyln R ood were able to celebrate their eleventh year anniversary in Portland, Ore. on May 31, 2014, in
their own back yard.
"In my day-to-day life
what part of my identity is
wrapped up in being a les
bian? What does that have
to do with anything, really?
It becomes a big deal be
cause our culture makes it
be that way."
identity is w rapped up in being a
lesbian? W hat does that have to do
w ith anything, really? It becomes a
big deal because our culture makes
it be that way. In term s o f how I’m
deciding to raise m y kid o r m y job,
how does it affect those things? It
doesn’t, unless there is sqme k ind o f
artificial barrier... I don’t get, I never
thought it m ade sense.
TC P: W hat do you see next for
m arriage equality?
B urnell: It’s always been a state
thing [marriage]. States have always
been die ones that decided; “this is
how you get a license, this is how
m uch it costs” and w ho can do your
ceremony. O th e r states have always
had to recognize marriages from
other states except for gay marriage.
That makes things tricky. You could
go to another state, say someone was
transferred to another job and all o f
sudden they’r e not m arried anymore?
That makes no sense, that doesn’t
w ork for our country, [and] I do
foresee that changing. I think w ithin
five years that’ll be a done d e al It’s
just a m atter o f tim e before all states
have gay marriage, and then people
can stop talking about it and live
their lives. *
-CAR O L BURNELL
C arol B urnell is c o
advisor to the GSA club.
M eetings will start up again
for students in th e rail b ut
there is a Facebook group
available to students. To
jo in em ail carolb@clacka-
m as.edu o r bruces@clacka-
m as.edu.
TCP: W hen was the third tim e
you got married?
Burnell: It was w hen Oregon
passed domestic partnership. It was
the same thing w ith the paperwork.
W e h a d to get it notarized, which
T tKougfit wAs interesting because
y o u d o n ’t b a y e t o .g e t a
m a r r ia g e
lic e n s e n o ta r iz e d ... W e d id th a t a n d
turned in o u r m oney and then we
were domestic partners. W ith that
paperwork we have some o f the same
rights; we have m any o f the same
rights in the state but certainly n o t
any federal recognition.
O regon same sex
M ARRIAGE TIM ELIN E
2004—Measure 36 qualifies
for the ballot
TCP: A nd how you two have
decided to get m arried a fourth time?
B urnell: We have finally decided
“you know, W ashington m ade it
legal m aybe we should just go to
Washington.” We could nave done
it last year, which w ould have been
our 10th anniversary but I wanted to
hold out fo r Oregon.
T hen we started reading in th e
news that the judge was going to
m ake a decision and it was going
.to happen in May, so we were just
waiting to see if he w ould m ake the
decision and he d id ... It’s a little
rom antic to get m arried again, bu t at
the same tim e it’s also anticlimactic
because it’s a paper anniversary. This
isn’t o u r real wedding, we’ve already
had that; we’re an old m arried couple
already. We’ve been m arried for 11
years, it’s not the same as our first
wedding but it is still very important.
Graduation Time!
It's that time of year!
Stop by the Bookstore to purchase all of your
graduation memorabilia, cards, tassels, and
mementos to remember ypur accomplishments!
If you have petitioned to walk, you can pick up
your cap & gown at the Bookstore in
Mcloughlin Hall.
Please check website for extended hours.
TCP: D o you thin k it is strange
that some people in society see being
gay as “w e ird :
a
Burnell: I’ve always found it weird
that people thought that it was a big
deal, o r that you would need to call
that out as an identifying feature. In
m y day-to-day life w hat p a rt o f m y
CCC AHSD & GED Graduation Thursday June 12th, 2014
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2004 —Measure 36 passes
and Oregon’s C onstitution is
amended, banning gay mar-
riage
2012— M arriage cam -
paigns in four other states
are able to secure victories at
the ballot
I
2014—Attorneys General in
i O regon and Nevada (both 9th
| Circuit states) announce they
will not defend their respective
same-sex marriage bans.
2014— U.S District Judge
M ichael M cShane legalizes
same-sex marriage.
C heck out our
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
“S ecular M arriage ”
AT
WWW.THECLACKAMAS-
PRINT.COM
Just South o f the college,
comfortable place to meet, study, relax
CCC College Graduation Friday June 13th, 2014
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