Gay couple Carter Etherington and Breken Elwood can legally marry in their home state of New York, but the guys decided to do it out of town.
In Toronto.
During the city’s 32nd annual LGBT Pride parade.
Atop a float emblazoned with signs like “Love Live Love” and “Here comes the Grooms,” the couple swapped rings, said—shouted, really—”I do,” and gave the crowd of more than a million people a big fat kiss for the ages.
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Etherington and Elwood weren’t making some big point about federal marriage inequality back home—they had simply won a contest from Tourism Toronto that included free airfare, a stay at the Windsor Arms, and a marriage ceremony at the parade. (A more intimate ceremony was held on Saturday for close friends and family.)
“It’s not only our responsibility but our pleasure to come to a country that allows gay couples to legally recognize their love and their relationships,” says Etherington. “We hope we’re able to make a difference in the U.S. with our story. We’re just one example of an everyday couple in love and who have hopes and dreams and want to share their lives.”
Etherington said he couldn’t believe so many people in the world were scared of love: “If that’s the most dangerous thing in the world, that’s shocking to me.”
Photo: Windsor Arms
MikeE
Ah, the totally unrepressed grammar fanatic in me REALLY hopes that the float did NOT have a sign that read “here comes the grooms”.
Bipolar Bear
It is a wonderful feeling being able to “make it official”, despite what some say about not need such validation. Although we don’t have same-sex marriage in New Zealand, we have civil unions which are different in name only to marriage legally: http://bipolarbear.co.nz/2011/05/06/sixteen-candles/
Jose
What a great city to get married in. I married my hubby in Toronto 6 years ago during pride week. We where treated with the respect we deserved from obtaining our marriage license to the actual ceremony in Toronto City Hall’s wedding chamber.
Now I hope that SCOUTS will finally rule DOMA unconstitutional and hope AZ someday has their same-sex marriage ban overturned so I can once again marry my partner in the presence of friends and family here at home.