Hannah Meade, Audrey Knox, Dara Baker and Athena Burkett rehearse a few songs before the beginning of the multifaith gathering for marriage equality on Friday evening at Commonwealth Baptist Church. Photo by Louise Krafft.
As Rev. Robin Anderson from Alexandria’s Commonwealth Baptist Church discovered this weekend, planning a party around a U.S. Supreme Court decision can be problematic. First, when Anderson began planning the Northern Virginia Multifaith Gathering for Marriage Equality, there was no set date for the decision. Decision day could have been anything between June 25 to June 29. And second, there was no way to determine the outcome of the decision. Hanging a festive banner could make for an awkward situation if the Supreme Court ruled against marriage equality.
“It was a very difficult service to plan,” said Anderson, “we just had to keep it very open ended.”
But as it turned out, the decision came down on Friday, June 26, and the decision was to make same-sex marriage legal across the nation. Approximately 60 people attended the Multifaith Gathering for Marriage Equality, some who would be legally allowed to marry partners of their choice, others arriving to show support for family members or friends.
“It was pretty emotional,” said Lonnie Rich, who attended with his wife Marcia Call. Marcia Call’s father, Thomas Call, had gotten married in Washington D.C. earlier that day, which coincidentally was also his 80th birthday.
In 1996, Rich served on the City Council and proposed action that would have urged the Virginia legislature to legalize same-sex marriage. City Council instead adopted a substitute motion that would include a request for more hate-crime protection and prohibit discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation. At the Multifaith Gathering, Rich said he heard from many citizens that they didn’t arrive at the church believing it could be true.
“It was very emotional,” said Rich. “A lot of people didn’t think that this would come in their lifetime, even if they thought it would come eventually. The Defense of Marriage Act and other legislation felt like part of a backlash.”
But since his proposal to City Council in 1996, Rich said marriage equality had emerged as a grassroots issue across the country.
“More and more people coming out made more people realize that they had gay [or lesbian] members of their family or neighbors and it turned out not to be a big deal,” said Rich. Rich also believes that the fact that younger generations didn’t see marriage equality as a problem and that was integral to the changing mindset of the nation. Also, as marriages were recognized sporadically across the United States, Rich said more and more heterosexual couples began to realize that the fabric of their lives wasn’t being torn apart.
But for many at the Multifaith Gathering, the Supreme Court’s recognition of marriage equality isn’t the end of the road.
“One person was getting married next year and didn’t know if her parents were going to come,” said Anderson. “Some who showed up were seminary students that wanted to show support at the Supreme Court but didn’t want to jeopardize their chances at being ordained.”
Anderson said that as she watched the people in the room share their reflections on the decision, she realized more and more the importance of individuals facing discrimination to have a community they feel welcome in.
“I watched people share their feelings who hadn’t been emotional all day,” said Anderson. “Being in a room with others, something clicked and they had an emotional response … I want people to know that there are lots of faith communities from different traditions with different denominations that are supportive that think this is a wonderful decision.”