A gay-friendly amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio has been accused of being homophobic this week after excluding same-sex couples from a contest to be married inside the park.
The Sandusky Register reports that Cedar Point was holding a contest for 13 couples to be married on the park grounds on Friday, September 13 to mark the opening of the park’s holiday-themed “HalloWeekends.”
The contest, originally announced on Cedar Point’s blog, specified that only heterosexual couples would qualify, stating “Due to marriage laws in Ohio, weddings are limited to male-female couples only.” Outraged by their exclusion from the contest, Scott Kenimond and Eric Morrison contacted park officials to complain.
The couple called the potential ceremony a “dream wedding,” because they both love roller coasters and initially bonded over their shared love for the park. “It was just kind of cool because we both love Halloween, we both love roller coasters, we both love Cedar Point, so I just thought it was like, the dream thing,” Kenimond told WKYC.
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Cedar Point, which hosts an official “Gay Day” annually, issued a statement following the couple’s internet campaign to raise awareness. “Cedar Point does not take any official stance on political issues,” it said.
Park spokesman Bryan Edwards says the contest has now been cancelled, citing “promotion logistics” that “started to take on political undertones.” He added that couples looking to have weddings, commitment ceremonies, and vow renewals outside of the HalloWeekends promotion are free to contact park officials for scheduling availability.
Dakotahgeo
a f**king Amusement Park??? Oh… in Ohio… THAT would explain a lot of things. Ohioans seem to have the same drinking water supplier that the southern states (TX, FL, NC, ET AL) get their tainted water. Better the whole frickin’ contest is cancelled so these nimrods eventually will learn their lesson! Good grief!!!
hyhybt
It is not the park’s fault that such marriages cannot take place in Ohio.
AndrewIB
Why on earth would anyone want to get married in an amusement park..doesn’t it rather belittle the whole solemnity of the marriage ritual which is after all what it is..
tdx3fan
@Dakotahgeo: You obviously have not a clue of what you speak. Cedar Point has been gay friendly and gay supportive for at least the last twenty years. They host a gay day (normally on Father’s Day) and have for the last 20 plus years. At least one quartrer of their staff has been gay since at least the 1980s. In fact, there is even a true story progay movie made about them… Edge of Seventeen. To claim they are homophobic is insane. They simply limited this promotion to meet Ohio legal standards. It is those standards that need changed.
sfbeast
Since gay marriage isn’t legal yet in Ohio, the contest couldn’t be open to gay couples. Would have been fun if the contest said something like ‘gays, maybe next year’. But otherwise, didn’t merit a complaint.
hyhybt
@AndrewIB: There’s a reason, for them, right there in the article you’re commenting on. Many people want to wed in a place that has a special meaning to them, even (or, for some, especially) if it’s one few would choose… and besides that, winning a free one means not having to rent a location.
People have gotten married in Walmart; surely Cedar Point is a better venue than that!
Jessie R
@hyhybt: The contest allowed people to do renewal ceremonies, which are not a legal marriage, so why not gay ceremonies?
hyhybt
@Jessie R: I don’t know. I also don’t see that anywhere in this article, nor do I see any reason to do further research on a not-that-interesting, not-really-much-of-a-story before making as basic a comment as the type I’ve done here, but if you have FACTS showing a more sinister reason than the one they’ve given, providing them would make sense.
hyhybt
@Jessie R: Sorry about that response; it’s certainly not your fault I’m in a foul mood this morning.
LaTeesha
Stupid contest that was degrading to all marriages – both straight and gay. Glad it was stopped.
Dakotahgeo
@tdx3fan: My comment stands… there better ways of handling this than how the park approached it. Sorry… their approach failed.
NateB79
@Dakotahgeo: Well your comment still sucks. You lumped all Ohioans together and compared us to radically homophobic states. Not knowing that Columbus the state capital is one of the most gay friendly cities in the midwest and there are plans to get the marriage amendment that passed in 2004 mainly due to George Bush’s vilification of the gays in his second term campaign run, repealed. So maybe save your haughty comments, and looking down your nose at all the “nimrods” to yourself.
Kieru
@NateB79: Thank you! I just read Dakotahgeo’s comment and was about to post something rather similar to your own comments. Yes, Ohio has a terrible DOMA law on file. NO that does not mean that all Ohioans are homophobic assholes.
All of our major cities (yes, Ohio has major cities) sport fairly sizable LGBT communities. Columbus tops that list in spades and also happens to be our state capitol. And while we don’t have our DOMA law repealed yet Columbus does sport a same-sex registry as well as localized laws protecting workers from being discriminated at due to their sexual orientation.
Dakotahgeo
@NateB79: This isn’t the first time I’ve read stories about OH or the natives thereof. Now quit proving me correct and go bother someone else who might care! 🙂 Have a good day!
adam madam
@tdx3fan, props for the Edge of Seventeen reference! A buddy of mine is seen dancing in one scene in that movie.
Sorry, don’t care if Cedar Point does or does not marry these guys. Ohio does look to have the marriage equality issue on the ballot, though, in November, 2014. Way to catch up, backward Buckeye State!