Same-sex unions in 'News' - Dallas Morning News to publish FREE same sex unions announcements

The Dallas Morning News ^ | July 6, 2003 | By ALINE McKENZIE / The Dallas Morning News

[MeekOneGOP]

Same-sex unions in 'News'

Announcements are a 'logical step,' says publisher

07/06/2003

By ALINE McKENZIE / The Dallas Morning News

Starting July 6, The Dallas Morning News will publish announcements of same-sex unions. The announcements will run alongside paid marriage and engagement announcements on Sundays.

"The publication of same-sex union announcements is a logical step for The Dallas Morning News to take," says James Moroney III, the paper's publisher and CEO. "We are now in line with practices of most major metropolitan newspapers across the country.

"We convened a meeting of representatives from the Cathedral of Hope as well as four other men and women from various businesses in order to represent a good cross-section of Dallas' gay community," he says.

The paper's parent company, Belo Corp., began offering benefits to same-sex partners of Belo employees in January, and the new policy on union announcements is a natural progression, he says.

Heather Jace of Melissa and her partner, Jandy Jace, are one of the couples running announcements in today's paper.

"We're real happy," says Heather Jace, 25, an office manager. "We want people to know, 'Hey, we're just like you. We've got a house, we've got a job, we have pets, we pay bills.' "

The couple had a small commitment ceremony in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on June 9, followed by a reception when they returned home. She says she isn't worried about any sort of backlash from the announcement. "I would like to think the community is mature enough to accept it and embrace it," she says.

Vanessa Benavides and Amy Davis, two Dallas attorneys who had a black-tie commitment ceremony in Dallas on June 14, are also buying an announcement. The couple also got married in Canada on June 23, and Ms. Davis took the name Benavides.

"I think it's important to let the community know that we go together, that we have made this commitment," says Vanessa Benavides, 28.

"I think that's the importance of marriages – to have witnesses to know that we've made this commitment together."

The paper's criteria for publishing an announcement are that the ceremony takes place in public, and that somebody officiates.

A two-inch announcement is free, while photos or longer announcements are charged according to size.

The Dallas Morning News joins 205 other papers that publish same-sex union announcements, including 10 in Texas, according to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination, or GLAAD.

"I'm so happy and so glad to hear this," says Monica Taher, people of color media director for GLAAD.

She worked last year on the group's project to get additional papers to publish same-sex union announcements.

The New York Times' decision last August to begin publishing same-sex union announcements was a watershed, she says.

Since then, many more papers have begun publishing such announcements, she says.

At some papers, executives had argued that printing same-sex announcements was tantamount to taking a political stand, but GLAAD representatives responded that not running them was also taking a political stand, she says.

Pamela Strother, executive director of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, also praised The Morning News' new policy.

"It's fantastic that The Dallas Morning News has moved forward on this," she says.

"It shows that a newspaper in a region that might be seen as conservative is willing to step out on this."

NLGJA leaders have also been meeting with newspaper executives, including The New York Times' publisher, says Robert Dodge, last year's president and a writer in The Dallas Morning News' Washington bureau.

"Our work was journalist to journalist, colleague to colleague, behind the scenes," he says.

E-mail amckenzie@dallasnews.com

---

Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/texasliving/stories/070603dnlivsamesex.a86e9.html

[computerjunkie]

Are you on the right thread? WHAT IN THE WORLD from Meek's post would illicit this response from you?

[MeekOneGOP]

Note:

winker
Since Jul 4, 2003

[computerjunkie]

So, winker, since you're new, was your post #119 directed to MeeknMing's post #1? Or did you mean to reply to some other post and just didn't realize how to do that?

[sweetliberty]

Found this a little earlier today browsing the enemy camp. They will be down over there shortly for upgrade. Click on graphic.

[DAnconia55]

We have long operated this way, in Michigan fireworks are against the law, so if I want them I have to go Indiana and buy them and become a crimal by bringing them across the state line and using them

Good point. And such a law is not compatible with liberty.

There's no reason adults shouldn't be allowed to own/use fireworks.

[TC Builders]

It is what the people of the state wanted my majority, so it is the law, do you not see this is how it works and always has. If I don't like the law then I can choose to break it or move to where it is legal. You have no right to force your ways unto the public of that state that has already spoken.

[PatrioticAmerican]

They look as mentally disabled as many gays do.

[Elsie]

Amazed, indeed!

Remember the trouble the lady in Indianapolis got into, just by saying, "Bless you" over the phone?

[winker]

I just picked the top post to reply; as a point just who are you to inquire? I could have just as easilly picked the last post to record my comments on; is that not allowed or am I not PC enough? If I stepped on a nerve I won't apologize for that!

[mylife]

DallASS...What a town /sarcasm

[Elsie]

I've always said that if a Moslem conqueror

...don't forget the "Unintended Consequences"

---

Now that they're OUT, the anonimity protection is GONE!

[MeekOneGOP]

LOL ! Good catch ! Shoulda known.

Upgrade, huh ? Doing repair to their PC [Politically Correct] Servers ??

[computerjunkie]

Your #119: "Even as miserable as you are,I won't leave you without hope! You may not believe in Hell and thats fine; but it is a real physical place and you are headed that way if you don't change your ways partner! The un-pardonable sin you have heard of only figures in when you finally,totally die a sinner not accepting JESUS as your only way of salvation! I hate no person individually only the SIN of the Lifestyle. So if you choose to gamble eternity in a firey burning HELL; go ahead punk, do ya feel lucky?"

This diatribe would indicate you are speaking to an individual. Since this post was in reply to post #1, one would assume you were speaking to the one who posted it. If you, in fact, were making a general comment to everyone on this thread, then, as a point, I am the one to inquire as I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, and thus, your diatribe does not apply to me.

Have a nice life.

[TLI]

I guess they could not handle the extra traffic, DU is DOWN!
you done gone and crashed them, oh well, all they were talking about was trolling here.

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[NYer]

The New York Times' decision last August to begin publishing same-sex union announcements was a watershed, she says.

Just wait until the Supreme Court sanctions beastiality. The NY Times will probably be the first to announce those unions, as well.

Baby Doll and Joe Bob proudly announce
their union as man and beast!

Totally depraved!

[ladylib]

The couple had a small commitment ceremony in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on June 9, followed by a reception when they returned home. She says she isn't worried about any sort of backlash from the announcement. "I would like to think the community is mature enough to accept it and embrace it," she says."

They might grudingly accept it (or not), but it's a little too much to ask people to "embrace" it.

[altura]

Well, duh, we're supposed to read before posting???

[MeekOneGOP]

hehe !

[TC Builders]

If conservatives across the country really want to stop this (which I believe they do) then we must stand together in some form other that just are vote. We would have to march on Washington with much more that the Million Man March (which never got to a million). It will take a lot of organization and money to pull the people together to march on Washington that would put a fear in the corrupt government that we have in place right now.