Thursday, April 1, 2010

A Dream Wedding


Recently, two of my friends entered a contest to win their dream wedding. A chance to celebrate their love via a fabulous party with all their friends and family. It soon changed into something a lot bigger than just a party. It started to turn into a fight against those who tried to break their spirit. It started to turn into a journey that caught the attention of the national media. It even started to turn into a symbol of hope for the GLBT community.

A blogger wrote of them: "Those queers are only 5,000 votes from beating Densey & Mary. (and we all know how accustomed they are to the come from behind win). I don't know if I can control my anger if Nancy & Sissy win this!!!"... and, after saying "excuse me?!", the boys pushed on.

Glaad said of them: "We commend their courage in standing up and celebrating their love despite some defamatory attacks."... and, several interviews later, the boys pushed on.

BeyondReproach wrote on Twitter about them: "Let's all band together and push for change in the name of love. Not hate."... and, after retweeting, the boys pushed on.

Over 20,000 people cast a vote for a dream wedding but to these guys, and to many of us, it was no longer just about winning a romantic wedding. It has become so much more. It has become a gesture of support for our community and our marriage equality fight.

There are really only two kinds of activism: one that changes your laws and one that changes your mind. The latter is always more powerful in the end.

Do I expect a conservative middle American to be at Pride this summer waving a rainbow flag because they followed this story? No, I don't. Do I think thousands upon thousands of people got to see a diiferent side of our community that many people try to hide from them, namely the love between two gay people? Yes, I do.

So, with twenty thousand four hundred and thirty eight votes, my friends Gregory Jones and Jonathan Howard are currently in 2nd place in Crate & Barrel's Ultimate Wedding Contest. What happens now? A panel of highly trained people-who-make-your-dreams-come-true will decide which couple will be having the wedding of their dreams and who will be getting a whole lot of shiny stemware.

To me, it would be a nice statement to the world if these boys won the contest but, in reality, the most important part is already done. Thousands of people voted, blogged, Facebooked, MySpaced, Tweeted, emailed, called and spread the word by mouth that We're Here. We're Queer. And We're Not Going To Hide Our Love.

Thank you, Greg & Jon. I only have one request for the wedding. No matter which way this turns out, please have a chalkboard like you did at your engagement party. :-)

And now, a thank you from the boys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmvTfiWbCpg