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Same Sex Weddings Make History
History was made in the province of Ontario on January 14, 2001. Maybe.
That Sunday, two same sex couples arrived at Toronto's Metropolitan Community Church to be married by Reverend Brent Hawkes. The ceremony was not that different from the hundreds of other same sex committment ceremonies that this and other churches perform every year. Two things set this ceremony apart: the 80 international media representatives snapping pictures alongside the 60 or so policemen in attendance, and the fact that the two marriages that resulted are well on their way to being the world's first legally recognized same sex marriages.
Under Ontario law, no city clerk is allowed to issue a marriage licence to homosexual couples, in accordance with Ontario's Marriage Act. Since a marriage isn't considered legal unless performed under a licence, same sex couples were left with no legal recognition of their unions. But then the Reverend Hawkes decided to use a little known and little used section of the Marriage Act to legally marry two same sex couples in his congregation. By law, a couple may legally marry under licence, or if the banns have been read in their church three weeks in a row. Hawkes read the banns, an ancient Christian tradition of announcing a couple's intention to marry so that any objections may be voiced before the wedding, and has now declared that these couples have satisfied the requirements of the Marriage Act, and should be issued a marriage certificate immediately.
Amid well wishers inside, and protesters wearing devil masks outside, Reverend Hawkes joined Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell, Anne and Elaine Vautour, in holy matrimony, with the words "By virtue of the power vested in me by the Ontario Marriage Act, I hereby declare you to be lawfully married...and parnters in life." The 600 guests rose to a standing ovation and jubilant cheers as the choir began to sing. Tears were shed, friends hugged friends, and the two new couples signed the register the way newlyweds have for years, sealing their vows with a signature and the promise that the relationship they'd developed for years was now legal, official, a marriage in every sense of the word.
By all accounts, this was one of the most joyous occasions this city has ever seen. Aside from the devils dancing around outside (they didn't need to wear demonic masks, we all know perfectly well how evil they are) everyone who knew about it, gay or straight, old or young, married or single, gave their hearty support to these couples in their pursuit of the value of marriage. Indeed, it takes a black soul to witness the joy of a marriage celebration and want to destroy it.
Unfortunately, those with the blackest souls are also those with a weekly newspaper column, or worse, government positions that will allow them to scuttle these marriages before they begin.
Several newspaper columnists - among them, people who run a mile from marriage and think it all waste of time anyway - declare that homosexuals ought to stop trying to be like straight people and just return to the bathhouses and gay nightclubs where they belong. These columnists have the gall to tell same sex couples that they shouldn't want to be married - theirs is a counter culture, a rebellion against the norm, and as such, they should all parade around in their feather boas and enjoy nameless meaningless sex with strangers like good little gays. Leave marriage to the normal people, these columnists say. Don't pretend for a minute that you're nice people with hopes for love and romance and family like everyone else.
As if that weren't bad enough, the government official in charge of registering marriages, Bob Runciman, has publicly declared from the outset that he doesn't care what the Marriage Act says, he's not going to register these marriages. These marriages don't go along with the "feel" of the marriage laws in this country, which are designed for one man and one woman. Who needs a law when you have a "feel" for something, right?
Although Hawkes stands firm in his belief that these couples are legally married, he has known from the beginning that they will likely have to sue the government over this. In a press conference after the ceremony, Hawkes asked the government to "do the right thing" and register the marriages, adding that "the state has no place in the chapels of the nation" - echoing the words of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who once used a similar statement to decriminalize homosexuality. Hawkes has set up a legal defense fund for the court battles that are sure to follow. (Not being registered)"...does not affect the status of the marriages", he said. "If it's not registered, we will go to court and we're confident we'll win."
All this attention has taken its toll on the newlyweds, who have said that through all this they merely wanted to get married and go back home, quietly, privately. They are relieved the stress is over, but their happiness is somewhat tarnished by the wave of opposition they face from the powers that be. "We're still under the shadow of a goverment that is prepared to deny our human rights." Kevin Bourassa said. "That's not a cause for celebration."
I hope history has been made here. I will be watching the media for news of the court's decision, if and when it comes. Until then, it's important to support people like the Reverend Hawkes and the couples he joins. He wants only to bring joy and love into people's lives, to help them achieve the value of marriage and live a life of committed love and devotion. Anyone who values marriage can have no objection to that.
For more information on this important issue, please visit Kevin and Joe's website, www.equalmarriage.ca
update: July, 2002. The Supreme Court has ruled that denying same sex couples the right to marry violates their constitutional rights, and has given the Canadian federal government two years to draft new legislation that includes same sex marriage. The government is currently appealing this ruling, and has retaliated by threatening to abolish marriage altogether, for everyone, suggesting instead that people be simply encouraged to enter into 'domestic arrangements'. In the meantime, in spite of this ruling, same sex couples are still currently unable to obtain a legal marriage licence in the province of Ontario.
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