Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 9, 1996, Winnipeg, Manitoba To Winnipeg free press Tupi Law it april the also available on the free press Homepage each monday Page editor Gerald 6977231 email to honour and we As Gay weddings grow More fear and bigotry can still Rule the Day although same sex weddings Are increasingly reporter Nick Martin finds some couples Are forced to sneak into churches after hours to take their wedding i Ohn Robertson and Ken de Lisle still debate whether the waitress or the Bellhop provided the most Amus ing reaction on their wedding the couple didst fit neatly into the waitress preconceptions and she was apoplectic because Nei ther spouse had been designated As the she expected the brides hand to be on the knife that Cut the wedding the grooms hand to cover the brides and she had some trouble adjusting to the notion of two men tying the that their Bellhop was mortified to discover there was Only one bed in the and began apologizing while promis ing to find another room with two Beds then the Light went on in his he of the ice machine is Down the have a Nice Day we didst have to tip him because he left so Robert son lifetime commitment that was 17 years when few Gay or lesbian couples celebrated their lifetime commitment by inviting family and friends to a religious or secular or holy now Robertson and de Lisle counsel other Gays and lesbians through the United Church Rainbow while such unions which no Canadian government gives Legal status Are few Cou Ples will marry As openly As did de Lisle and Only four Winnipeg churches perform services with the approval of their and Many couples prefer the discreet and welcoming surroundings of club 200 or the heartland restaurant where therell be no harassment or fear of pastor Stan Richards of the metropolitan Community who presided at a holy Union of two lesbians this said the women were so fearful of losing their jobs that they asked guests not to photograph limited were protected by our but were also incredibly limited by Robertson theres a lot of our life that should be like everybody the wedding of Tina and Marina three years ago was religious ceremonies a couple in surrounded in a Church by family and a a dinner and reception it would All be Boring stuff in an Ideal said but the world is far from Gays and lesbians they told of two men sneaking into a Church late at night to Light candles and Exchange rings in the presence of their because the clergy and congregation refused to accept their sexual orientation and some family members Boycott homophobic waiters do their utmost to spoil celebratory passersby hurl verbal Tinas brother gave her away and her whole family was marinas family was nowhere in one of the reasons they dont though some boycotted Marina and Tinas it was a special Day for the want their surnames we got married just like my mom and Tina i bought this ring for and will you marry me we needed a and we wanted to share it with some Marina adding it was a recognition that they had made a lifelong peo this Spring or o v v w tv7l 1 1 j take off for the weekend and return monday or tuesday for substantial savings with this Low fare on nonstop flights from breakaway fare for weekend Chicago 178 round trip travel on saturday and return the following monday or it May sound too Good to be but its with americans breakaway you can take off on a Long weekend to Chicago and enjoy substantial savings for travel through May heres How it depart from Winnipeg on saturday and return the following monday or just Purchase your ticket one Day in As members and Canadian members can earn and redeem mileage Good for award travel on either american airlines or Canadian but seats Are so make your reservations today by calling your travel agent or american at american airlines something special in to find out More about american airlines on the visit our web site at roundtrip nonstop Economy class travel and is lockets must be purchased within exr re whichever comes but no later than Midnight fare is valid Himsl d cd Satuala and immune the Moa Jay or seals ate Iare May not be available on All flights and is sub act to change without Penaluer changes to your ticket Nav kharif a ring tit r Are Ntim if s pie want it to be its special if you love that other for some its the final Indica Tion you Are what you Tom and Paul cant use their real names because Paul is on probation in a new one reason the far right is so afraid of recognizing our relation ships is it would blow up the myth that were Tom they held a holy Union at metro Politan to validate their relation Paul ramifications its taking a its not the same event As a but there Are the same added Tom for a really big part of it was the Public a knowl in you have to work to look like youre not a Cou to avoid harassment or physical or verbal Tom invited some but was taken Aback when others asked to come to the wedding or simply showed up oblivious to How Many seats or How much food was i Felt near the end i was almost taking on the aspect of a Freak though Toms family was totally Pauls brother found other things to do that my sister and her two children my brother inlaw that say Robertson and de who like pushing the outer Edge of the anniversary photo there considering placing a 20th anniversary photo in the free press in Robertson when Ken and i had our 15th we hired the United Church women to Cater de Lisle said ceremonies vary from the secular in Homes or restaurants to the far More formal and religious in a handful of this is not this is a holy by making a com in front of that relationship takes on a different said de who gives couples a generally free hand in designing their own its finding whats culturally its what Speaks to de Lisle said some clergy discreetly perform same sex Cere j monies without telling their congregations or Church adm Nistra religious people will find a find a he attended a farm wedding of a lesbian couple who specified where people sit in a for spiritual we Haven been boxed into a Hodoe what de Lisle were Freer to celebrate love and society expects a Bride in White and a Groom in a every one says the traditional and then they we dont have to do Robertson said options like heartland and club 200 Are preferred because there who cant use his real name for fear it would Cost his partner his he said they Are going out of town for their own a City like its bound to get Back to someone you Joseph a wedding is to legitimize your and make a you do because youre proud As were look ing for some measure of Normal yet we have to do it behind closed its so much a part of our broader societal Why should we miss out on the Joy of of sharing it a spokesman said club 200 will soon have a on Estop package available to help couples plan their whole Day Church or Sec ular liquor caterers dealing Only with companies that Are Gay Posi you dont want to be worrying on a Day like this what someone is thinking if there snickering As you walk at Tina and marinas wedding they had to demand the manager replace a rude waiter who seemed offended at having to serve two club 200 will try to work out Side the Gay and lesbian comm said the if you want to open and expand other Peoples you have to reach out to and not just stick to same sex covenants on the Rise Only four Winnipeg churches openly perform ceremonies for Gay and lesbian couples the metropolitan Community 396 661 pastor Stan Richard of the metropolitan a Christian Church with a specialized ministry to Gay and lesbian people has performed 25 holy unions in five Many of them roman catholics who cant marry in their own Treyve the first one was a very closeted affair in which two men married at their with Only two wit Nesses Richard in the last two the gatherings Are larger and families Are showing albeit not All relatives thrilled with the Days he each couple writes out its own i write a special Liturgy for they want to make a statement to one then they want to make a statement to their always Tell the couple if the thing Ever gets we have All the but the government will probably want its aaa Augustine United 444 theres a Basic and certain preparation is expect As there is with heterosexual a fair bit of care is taken with spiritual prepare said Don Gay and lesbian couples have unique pressures to con tend and not in any Way widespread we Call them he added the straight culture is too oppressive for Gays and lesbians to comfortably duplicate heterosexuals process and terminal Liq Young United 222 Furby Peter Williams affirming congregation gave its approval for same sex but he would do so anyway because of personal convict if a couple is saying they want some sort of Blessing on their i dont see any Rea son Why i How dare we say no because of their orientation people find it difficult to understand that their Church wont recognize their sexual Williams they ask themselves Why will christianity not bless our Lov ing relationship aaa unitarian 790 ban Ning since their groundbreaking ceremony of Union for Chris Vogel and Richard North in the unitarians have per formed about a dozen Cere monies of said chaplain Joan we Are open to doing them for people outside the Congre and for performing ceremonies outside the Church setting through the unitarian minister or three she aaa the Rainbow ministry can be reached at b Subj Chi 10 change without penalties the Lay t pay a w service i Large and Nigel the restriction applicable to no v p of found Alron my be Cou Elcied in addition to the advertised Price up to in government taxes and fees is not me did hmm i inti i1 i r pcs me Zigni to change Jaciva Isaac programme re travel awards and special offers at any time without and to end program Rifle with re Dan travel mileage accrual and special offers Are subject to government Canadian airlines and Canadian plus Are registered trademarks of Canadian airlines orthodox christians look ahead to easter weekend s significant Ethan cultural events this compiled from the Manitoba multicultural resource Centre and other sources i thursday is the last Day of passover for the jewish christians in orthodox churches who use the Julian Calendar observe Good Friday this week and easter on the series of dinners held by the Manitoba interfaith immigration Council at the International Cen tre continues with a Costa rican supper at Sturgeon Creek United reservations at the immigrant women association of Manitoba holds its annual symposium saturday from 9 to 4 at the Marlborough topics include the Impact of abuse and violence on immigrant information at saturday is new years Day for buddhists in the Saka it is both a religious and cultural Cele bration for Cam laotians and hinduism Marks Vai Sakhi on the first Day of the solar it is primarily an agricultural celebrating the Harvest in Northern saturday is Baisakhu Day for the first month of the solar on this Day in guru Gobind Singh instituted the symbols of the Faith worn by All dedicated ;