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"If
we ever needed reassurance that y0u were serious (we didn't) it was
hearing you live, on the radio, in the studio yet, at 7:45 a.m.! Now
that's commitment."
"This
is an incredible undertaking and it is so amazing to us that we are
part of history in the making."
"I
feel very strongly that all people regardless of race, privilage and
sexuality be treated fairly, respectfully and equally. I am proud
to raise my children with the same values and beliefs."
"You
have reached as far as Seattle and Florida ... You know it is mind
boggling when you think of the people that this can affect. Not just
gays or lesbians but anyone that is considered a minority ... anyone
that does not conform to the 'norm'."
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On January 14, 2021 we were joined in holy (and legal) matrimony, in a double ceremony with our friends Anne and Elaine Vautour. This was accomplished by using the Christian tradition of reading the banns of marriage (incorporated into Ontario law) during three regular worship services, prior to the marriage, at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto. Below you will find a comparisom of responses to our wedding invitation, a timeline of events, and some quotations from the press coverage. Thanks to all who are making a positive contribution to public dialogue! Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell
Additional news coverage about the weddings Gaiety magazine celebration of marriage registration | |
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"Homosexuals
are equal members of society; entitled to the same rights as anyone else. Why,
then, should they be denied the right to marry?"
"Every
society needs groundbreakers to challenge its norms and attitudes. The suffragettes
and early labour activists did it a century ago. Their feminist granddaughters
followed in their footsteps, along with black activists, anti-poverty activists,
gay rights activists and disabled activists."
"This
was not like any wedding before it. The presiding reverend wore a bullet-proof
vest. ... it brought a community to life. It brought people in church to their
feet, gays, lesbians, heterosexuals, with applause, and tears in a ceremony gripping
with emotion ... There were standing ovations all over the place. If you looked
around the church there were all kinds of same-sex couples watching what was before
the
m,
knowing the political relevance of the event, knowing that a step was taken that
may change their lives forever ..."The time for acceptance was yesterday.
This is 2001. The first shots have been fired. A court challenge won't be far
behind. Yesterday was a victory. The fight for acceptance is far from over."
"I
feel a sense of relief, but not release," said [Kevin] Bourassa. "This
one step is complete. There are further steps. We're still under the shadow of
a government that is prepared to deny our human rights. That's not a cause for
celebration." 
"The
legalization of gay marriage is inevitable. Everything that has happened over
the past decade points to it. Homosexuals have won the right to be protected from
discrimination, to adopt and raise children and to receive the same spousal benefits
as heterosexuals. It is only a matter of time before they win the right to marry,
too."
segregation
was the norm and we didn't want anyone who wasn't like us living on our block.
There are hundreds of examples, throughout history, of rampant discrimination
turned around. Isn't that, in a different way, what began to happen Sunday afternoon
in Toronto? It was the beginning of a movement that has so very far to go. It
was the beginning of the stripping away of another accepted wrong."
newspaper across Canada and throughout the US and overseas. In Toronto, three
of the four dailies highlighted the event on their front pages ... many newspapers
added editorials about the gay wedding to their news coverage."
