After the disheartening election results, we felt the need to DO SOMETHING, to be active, to be activist, to show our support and strength and spirit to fight for what we believe in: marriage equality for all. Through the Campaign for Southern Equality, we found out about the WE DO campaign, in which gay couples were requesting marriage licenses at their Register of Deeds offices in cities and towns across NC, knowing they would be rejected, but wanting to make a public statement about what they believed was unjust. The campaign was going to be in Winston-Salem on May 10! At first, we got excited that we could actually be one of the unlucky couples to be denied a marriage license, and we asked Finn if she wanted to practice being a flower girl (for the upcoming wedding of her Aunt Michele on June 2). But then we learned that the couples had already been chosen and had been through extensive training, ...oh well,... but we could be part of the support team. We eagerly signed on.
Driving down to W-S
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| Crusoe checks his email |
Outside the Forsyth County Board of Elections building (where we voted for Obama in 2008!)
We, the supporters, stayed outside while the couples went inside to the Register of Deeds office. Every 10-15 minutes, a couple would emerge and we would all applaud for them, for their courage and strength. Finn and Crusoe seemed to like this part best, and would enthusiastically join in clapping. Here, you can see one of a couple who had kids about the same ages as ours: the woman in the red dress, holding her son on her hip. (She's in the video if you click on the link above.)
After the public action, we returned to our staging area, a nearby condo belonging to one of the supporters, where we debriefed the action, shared stories, enjoyed refreshments, and read books to each other.
Then we went to Costco for more unwinding.
Both kids slept all the way home.
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