The bus ride down through Kentucky to Illinois was filled with anticipation and focused determination. I made final edits to Sarah and Kristy’s wedding liturgy and spoke with them about how important this marriage was going to be to the thousands of same-sex couples who were still denied the civil right to marriage in their home state of Kentucky. These two women were making history and I knew G-D was leading us in every step. The event was so powerful that I found myself having trouble taking it all in and being able to appreciate the moments that were passing me by like the landscape out the bus window.
The marriage took place in a small park in Metropolis, Illinois under the most beautiful sky you could imagine. Immediately afterward, we all entered the Massac County Courthouse and turned in the marriage license. The clerk then gave Sarah and Kristy their legal marriage certificate. The celebration began and we didn’t stop until the bus rolled back into Louisville some 3 1/2 hours later. The depressing fact was that crossing that river back into Kentucky brought with it the fact that gay couples had absolutely no rights to marriage in their home state. Yet we keep on fighting.
Hope is the shadow of love, cast by the light of G-D that never sets. We put all of our hope in the love that refuses to accept inequality, discrimination, and bigotry. Times are changing and we are so ready.