2008 Woodie Awards
Couples petition for equal rights
Local gays, lesbians seek legal marriage recognition in S.C.
Meredith Mickey
Issue date: 2/13/08 Section: News
A small, but vocal group of people gathered outside the Richland County Judicial Center on Tuesday morning in order to celebrate the fourth annual Marriage Equality Day in South Carolina.
The small group consisted of two couples hoping to be married along Ryan Wilson, president of the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement, and three others in support of the movement.
As the couples and supporters filed into an office to try to acquire marriage licenses, the room became quiet. The couples were turned down when they applied for marriage licenses.
The demonstration was held to show support for a change in South Carolina's marriage law.
Feb. 10 kicked off Freedom to Marry Week for gay and lesbian couples across the country. The week always falls between President Abraham Lincoln's birthday and Valentine's Day, to join together the ideas of love and justice.
Wilson said he has been working hard to change marriage laws because all people are equal.
"All people are human, and gay people deserve [equal] rights too," Wilson said.
People such as Ed Madden and Bert Easter have helped with the demonstration since the group began participating in Freedom to Marry Week in 2005.
Ed Madden, an associate professor of English at USC, and his partner Bert Easter, of the National Resource Center at USC, have been partners for 14 years.
Madden said he and his partner simply want the same rights as every other South Carolinian.
"Many people don't realize that most hospitals do not recognize gay and lesbian couples," Easter said.
He said gay and lesbian people are searching for the rights that heterosexual couples take for granted each day, such as the right to be considered the next of kin at a hospital.
The second couple to come forward to be married was Candace and Wanda Chellew-Hodge.
This small group of people said they want their voices heard not only among lawmakers, but also among young people who are struggling with their sexual orientation as well.
"We hope that young college students who are struggling will see our demonstrations and realize that there are other people out there just like them," Wilson said.
Easter said although college students may not be looking to settle down any time soon, the members of the group say they want to "help prepare the way."
"When college students begin thinking about marriage, we hope it will be here for them," Easter said.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 15,000 couples registered as same-sex couples in South Carolina. Around 30 percent of gay couples and 40 percent of lesbian couples are also raising children.
The South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement will continue to work beyond Freedom to Marry Week. They hope that with time and through demonstrations, gay and lesbian couples will finally be allowed to marry in the state of South Carolina.
The small group consisted of two couples hoping to be married along Ryan Wilson, president of the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement, and three others in support of the movement.
As the couples and supporters filed into an office to try to acquire marriage licenses, the room became quiet. The couples were turned down when they applied for marriage licenses.
The demonstration was held to show support for a change in South Carolina's marriage law.
Feb. 10 kicked off Freedom to Marry Week for gay and lesbian couples across the country. The week always falls between President Abraham Lincoln's birthday and Valentine's Day, to join together the ideas of love and justice.
Wilson said he has been working hard to change marriage laws because all people are equal.
"All people are human, and gay people deserve [equal] rights too," Wilson said.
People such as Ed Madden and Bert Easter have helped with the demonstration since the group began participating in Freedom to Marry Week in 2005.
Ed Madden, an associate professor of English at USC, and his partner Bert Easter, of the National Resource Center at USC, have been partners for 14 years.
Madden said he and his partner simply want the same rights as every other South Carolinian.
"Many people don't realize that most hospitals do not recognize gay and lesbian couples," Easter said.
He said gay and lesbian people are searching for the rights that heterosexual couples take for granted each day, such as the right to be considered the next of kin at a hospital.
The second couple to come forward to be married was Candace and Wanda Chellew-Hodge.
This small group of people said they want their voices heard not only among lawmakers, but also among young people who are struggling with their sexual orientation as well.
"We hope that young college students who are struggling will see our demonstrations and realize that there are other people out there just like them," Wilson said.
Easter said although college students may not be looking to settle down any time soon, the members of the group say they want to "help prepare the way."
"When college students begin thinking about marriage, we hope it will be here for them," Easter said.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 15,000 couples registered as same-sex couples in South Carolina. Around 30 percent of gay couples and 40 percent of lesbian couples are also raising children.
The South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement will continue to work beyond Freedom to Marry Week. They hope that with time and through demonstrations, gay and lesbian couples will finally be allowed to marry in the state of South Carolina.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
JOHN
posted 2/13/08 @ 1:51 PM EST
Wow, two whole couples? and an article was written about it?
Brad
posted 2/14/08 @ 2:19 AM EST
Doesn't seem like many people want gay marriage in SC if less than 10 people showed up....Why is this being covered so extensively in the Gamecock then? Why don't the writers for the Gamecock focus on the things that South Carolinians actually care about, like the direction of our football program or the proposed shipment of Italian nuclear waste heading towards Charleston harbor?
Alicia
posted 2/14/08 @ 8:06 AM EST
Great article. Very well researched and well written. Thank you for choosing to cover a variety of topics in this paper, regardless of whether it seems to be "popular" to cover or not. (Continued…)
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