Couples’ Message
We hope to give you, the visitors, insight into what this ceremony means to the couples. Therefore, please check out what each of the four couples has written below.
Kat Sinclair & Delia Guzman
“We decided to participate in this ceremony because our consciences demand that we not remain silent while same-sex couples are denied the basic legal protections afforded to opposite-sex couples. Through this ceremony, we declare that our love, caring, and respect for each other form an enduring commitment that should be recognized, protected, and celebrated. Having been together for over six years, raising a child with the support of wonderful members of our family of choice, we show that families headed by same-sex partners are already a reality. For our families and allies who are silenced in every community and every culture within America, we will stand and declare our love publicly on March 29th.”
Paul Datti & Frank Vasquez
“This ceremony coincides nicely with our 10th anniversary of being a couple, so it’s a not only a good time for us to renew our love and commitment, but to be good role models at the same time. Like many other people, gay or straight, we have been fortunate to have terrific families and friends who not only support our relationship, but celebrate it. But we realize that this is often not the case for many GLBT folks. We thought that if we can help just one kid who thinks who he/she is may be wrong, or help one person who has always wanted to be in a committed same sex relationship but never thought it was an option, or change one person’s mind by showing them that our relationships are healthy and good, or, in a better world, move society one step closer to truly validating relationships like ours, then we are really doing a great thing for ourselves and others…”
Donna Coffman & Amanda Applegate
“While we are willing to be newsworthy if it is necessary, this ceremony for us is really just about committing ourselves to each other, just like any other marriage would be. We are in a committed, monogamous, loving, supportive relationship and we plan to stay that way for the rest of our lives. Our families and friends all recognize our relationship as permanent and primary. Our hope is that our participation in this very public ceremony will help other people to give non-heterosexual relationships the same respect that they give heterosexual ones. We plan to reaffirm our vows when Pennsylvania offers a legally binding mechanism for doing so, in order that we may have the same rights as straight married couples. However, until that time, the lack of legal consequence of this ceremony does nothing to diminish our commitment to each other.”
James Collins & Ryan Fitzpatrick
“We want to participate in this public ceremony to show that the love we have for each other is no different than the love straight couples demonstrate when they commit to each other. When we had our own marriage ceremony a little over two years ago, the presiding minister refused to call it anything but a marriage ceremony to point out how we were no different than any other couple that she marries. However, our ceremony was different in one aspect because it was not legally recognized by the state in which we were married. We hope by participating in this public ceremony that we can prove the same point to those that really need to hear that message and help remove the irrational fear of same-sex relationships in this state and in our country. The lifelong commitment of a couple to each other should be respected and cherished irrespective of the sex or gender of the participants.”