Posted on 01/03/2012 1:52:34 PM PST by NYer
More than 400 people, including a U.S. senator, witnessed the first same-sex civil union in Delaware on New Year's Day.
Lawyers Lisa Goodman and Drewry Fennell were joined in the union by the Rev. Patricia Downing, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Wilmington, where the Sunday afternoon ceremony took place.
Goodman and Fennell have been partners for 14 years. Goodman is a lawyer who led the advocacy group Equality Delaware's fight for the civil union law. Fennell heads the state Criminal Justice Council and formerly led the ACLU's Delaware chapter.
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., delivered the sermon and Lt. Gov. Matt Denns read scripture.
"We felt so lifted up by everyone who was there," Goodman said by phone as she and Fennell were riding to their home after the ceremony and reception.
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed the law authorizing civil unions in May. Delaware is one of about a dozen states that allow either civil unions or marriages for same-sex couples.
Neighboring Maryland is preparing for a renewed fight over a same-sex marriage proposal, with Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley promising his full support for the measure in the coming legislative session.
In Delaware, observers of the Sunday ceremony said it went off without a hitch.
"Everything went perfect, I couldn't be happier, everything was flawless," said Ken Boulden Jr., the New Castle County Clerk of the Peace. Boulden opened his office on Sunday so that Goodman and Fennell and seven other couples could get their licenses on the first day they were available. Boulden was a guest at the Goodman-Fennell ceremony.
Calling the event a "lovefest," Boulden said the good weather meant even heaven was smiling down upon the couple.
"It was a great way to begin the new year," he said.
Downing said she has known Goodman and Fennell for about four years and that the couple crafted a service to reflect their relationship. "I'm full of pride and joy and extremely happy and excited that this could happen in Delaware," Downing said.
The couple had a choir that performed hymns and Christmas carols, one in Spanish, because the church has a Spanish-speaking congregation.
Goodman said that when the congregation gave the couple a standing ovation after the union was pronounced, "I was afraid to turn around because I was afraid I might cry."
Only a matter of time and court cases for all 50 states (57 states, according to President Obummer) to be forced to recognize these and dole out all the accordant “benefits” that come with marriage - with our without state constitutional regulations.
They will parade out the “equal protection” BS.... and there you will have it, even those of us living in even the more conservative states will be paying for homo-Joe to get his privates altered and/or pay out spousal benefits.
Although I have read there have been civil ceremonies in California and Washington, I don’t believe the Episcopal General Convention has approved this (yet). They meet this year and are expected to approve a liturgy for the sinful ceremony. This homosexual activist push has ripped the church asunder.
I suppose that, this time next year, we will be seeing a headline about a civil union between a man and a corpse, or a man and a goat, or a man and a 7-year-old.
LLS
This just reinforces the reason I am no longer a practicing Episcopalian. Thank God my daughter finally dumped her ex-boyfriend, as they went to a PCUSA church and were heavily involved in their fag-loving, social justice agenda. What's going on with churches in America?!?!
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When government officials go out of their way to foster, promote and legalize mentally ill sexual perversion, it means we better be prepared for all kinds of mayhem. Civilization cannot continue without morality as a basic foundation; and when the "leaders" are leading everyone straight to the inferno of vice, some kind of collapse is inevitable. What to speak of all the other craziness going on.
Oh my goodness, sorry I didn’t see you have pinged it out. I’m way behind today.
I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Or Leviticus 18:22 for that matter.
:)
“there are now 12 states that recognize gay unions and/or marriage.
Oh man. You just turned my stomach. I believe we may have lost this battle. I am sick to say such a thing but I had no idea we were that bad off.”
This battle _has_ “been lost”.
Same-sex marriage will eventually be declared the law of the land by the Supreme Court. Probably not by the Roberts Court, but somewhere down the line there is going to be a more liberal Court that does exactly this.
The sad fact is that the battle _could have_ been won, and won easily — if Republicans had only pushed for a “Marriage Amendment” to the Constitution at the first sign of trouble (that being “civil unions” in Vermont).
Back then, the notion of same-sex marriage seemed so outrageous that a Marriage Amendment could have succeeded is passing both houses of Congress, IF the Republicans/conservatives put the pressure on.
Back then, this was enough of a “hot button” issue that the amendment almost certainly would have garnered enough support in the required number of state legislatures to be ratified.
And our side would have won.
But we let that opportunity slip away, and since then, the only momentum that has developed has been for the other side.
Congress will never pass a Marriage Amendment now. Not going to happen. (I wouldn’t mind being proven wrong, but the lefties in the Congress have grown “leftier” and bolder since then. They’ll not give up the cause, even for the sake of their constituents.
The saying goes, “strike while the iron is hot”. It ain’t so hot no more. The left is winning on same-sex unions, they’ve got their strategies down, and they’re not going to give up ‘til they’ve won the whole enchilada.
Wish I could be more optimistic, but that’s the way I see it...
It is a white trash thing. Not many years ago people in the blue states chided others for marrying their cousins, and we all thought, how disgusting. Now we have those same people marrying the same-sex in a sexually dimorphic species (ie humans) and they call it normal. I can’t wait for the next white trash parade in San Fran.
The “event” is bad enough. The 400 “celebrants” really
are a bigger problem.
Many churches have turned away from the Word of God (at best they might read "The Message"). I thank God for the Southern Baptist churches, firmly anchored in Scripture!
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