Show Me Equality marriage bus to Iowa
May 1, 2009 - Center, Shonda Garrison and, right, Jolie Justus hug as they confirm their wedding vows with, left, Kate Lovelady, ordained leader of the Ethical Society of St. Louis, on the bus to Iowa City. Seventeen couples from the St. Louis area came to Iowa City to get legally married in what they were calling the Show Me Marriage Equality Bus. (Emily Rasinski/P-D)
Wow. Friday was an incredible day. I had the honor and privilege of accompanying 17 same-sex couples with three other clergy (rabbis and a Unitarian Universalist minister) to Iowa City to solemnize their marriages. The bus from St. Louis left at 6 am and arrived back here at 10 pm, and in-between was a day of love, vows, tears, smiles, family and friends, support from Iowans of all ages and orientations, and hope for a more compassionate future for America and humanity. Like most clergy I do a lot of weddings and they’ve become fairly routine, but I and all the clergy were crying along with the couples that day, knowing what they’ve gone through and continue to go through to have their love, relationships, and families recognized. A beautiful child witnessing his fathers’ vows and a father giving away his glowing daughter to the woman she loves are two of the many, many images that will stay with me for a long time. My thanks to Show Me No Hate for inviting me to be a part of this historic and wonderful event. Congratulations all!
Kate Lovelady, 38, of Dogtown is the Leader of the Ethical Society of St. Louis, which was founded in 1886 and is currently the largest Ethical Society in the nation. Kate's life partner, Billy Dechand, is a local musician. Kate's hobbies include vegan baking and riding her 49cc scooter. 
Congratulations to the homosexual couples who are committed in their relationships, and willing (and now able) to prove it by making a legally binding, state-sanctioned contract. Glad you can do it, and hope you find at least as much happiness as heterosexual couples!
As happy a day as it is for human rights in Iowa, it will be an even happier day when citizens who rushed to amend their State Constitutions (and vote Bush/Cheney 2004) in order to “defend marriage” wake up and repeal them. That, or revel in their regressive backwaters. Some will squeal with joy, other will squeal like crazed piglets. I’ll be laughing at the the latter group!
Okay, now what?
Marriage is not sufficient to prove a committed relationship. Marriage vows only show intent. The proof comes from living together and, at least, not getting divorced. See the following web site for studied differences between homosexual and heterosexual marriages:
http://www.mfc.org/contents/article.cfm?id=1368
If the article at the web site is true, why cheapen marriage further by performing same sex marriages? Isn’t the divorce rate high enough already?
For more information, see this article from the Des Moines Register. It includes a video and comments from readers about what appears to be the event Kate has posted here.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090502/NEWS/905020331/1001/
Historic? Yes. Wonderful? No. If we think that homosexual marriage is okay, we have destroyed the meaning of marriage, and opened the door to legalizing bestiality and polygamy.
Kate,
When three people, regardless of orientation and gender, desire to get married to each other, will you also be there to recognize their nuptials?
How about, say, four people?…five?…six?
If not, why not?
Once marriage is redefined (which, of course, is all this is about; it has NOTHING to do with hatred of homosexuals), why on earth would we discriminate against any other human marital combination?…and if same-sex proponents DO favor in limiting marriages to just two people, on what logical grounds do they stand on, since they’re apparently willing to practice ‘hateful discrimination’ which they say they detest so much?
Looking at the couple in the photograph, it appears one is trying to be the opposite sex. Why call it same-sex when one takes on the persona and identification of the male in a lesbian relationship? It appears one does not want to be nor attempts to be the female she came into the world as.
If it’s same sex, why are gadgets involved that represent the opposite sex?
Just citing these to say something is amiss and not very rational in this whole scene.
And then, if alledged same-sex marriage is viable, so should incestuous couple marriages, polygamous or polyandrous, and child/adult marriage. Whose to say they are wrong while same-sex is okay?
A can of worms is being opened.
Marriage of any kind has outlived it’s purpose and usefulness. Why pretend otherwise?
What exciting news to share! It’s tragic that hatred and bigotry attempt to limit the movement of grace. I’ve been ordained for 30 years and have been asked to perform ceremonies of blessing for many couples. I look forward to the day when legal recognition is given in this country to those relationships.
It never ceases to amaze me that people believe that the definition of marriage is unchanging over time.
Romantic marriage - perhaps 12 decades old in the US.
Same-sects marriage was the norm until, what, the 1960? Even now, same-sects is the demanded norm in most Christian denominations.
Inter-racial marriage was not legalized nation-wide (thanks to “activist judges”) in 1967. Not accepted by a majority of the US population until the 1990s.
Serial polygamy (divorce and re-marriage) starting in what? The 1950s?
The “nuclear family” as a post-WW II construct (before that “family” typically consisted of at least 3 generations, with lateral relatives).
Simian