US: Mass wedding planned in Kansas for first day of full marriage equality
A mass wedding is set to take place in Wichita tomorrow, on the first day that same-sex marriages can begin across the state of Kansas.
Same-sex marriages have commenced in some parts of Kansas, after a judge struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage and the Supreme Court last week refused to halt the ruling.
The impact of the ruling had been delayed in most counties until now, however, with most counties opting to wait until tomorrow – when weddings will begin across the state.
In the capital city of Wichita, a mass ceremony is planned to cater for all the couples who want to be able to marry. on the footsteps of the Sedgwick County Courthouse.
Ten members of the local clergy will be on hand to marry same-sex couples who have obtained the correct paperwork outside the courthouse at 5pm.
Carolyn Schwarz of Pine Valley Christian Church told KAKE: “Some of them have been together, years and years, decades. To finally have that opportunity, this is a huge, huge day.”
Pastor Jackie Carter of the First Metropolitan Community Church added: “We don’t want to make any extra expense or any extra hoops that they have to jump through and make it easy as possible.
“What a great thing that they won’t have to spend all of these days feeling less than. That they can right away be honored and respected as equal partners.”
A local venue has agreed to hold an open reception for all the couples, which will be open to the public – and will even provide cake.
Kelley Hoffman of Fantasy Complex said: “We’ve had gay weddings, straight weddings.
“We’ve had a lot of different type of celebrations, so after all of these years to be able to say, ‘And now we’re a part of another historic moment that we have waited for, and that we have actually prayed for and wished for all this time’.
“To actually be a part of that, it just means the world to us, absolutely just means the world to us.”
Over in Topeka, three separate churches will be on-hand to marry same-sex couples within a two-mile radius of the Westboro Baptist Church.
