On January 14 2001, Joe Varnell and Kevin Bourassa, along with Anne and Elaine Vautour, were the first same-sex couples to be married in Toronto’s Metropolitan Community Church (MCC).
Tonight the couples will renew their vows along with fifty other couples at a celebratory service at MCC.
And this time Rev. Brent Hawkes, the man who married the two couples, will not have to worry about protests and death threats (or wear a bullet-proof vest at the ceremony) as he did the first time.
Read more:
CBC – Same-sex couples mark 10th anniversary.
As you know, your humble blogger was married in October 2009.
The Gay Groom (right) and his Husband
A few weeks ago, MCC was looking for married couples to join Varnell, Bourassa and the Vautours to renew their vows at the church. Now I have to admit that (for a brief moment) I thought about volunteering to be one of those fifty couples – but ultimately decided not to.
Being an atheist, I just couldn’t do it.
I simply could not get married – or even renew my vows – in a church.
In fact, I specifically ensured that my own wedding had no religious overtones (see my blog Creating a god-Free Wedding).
Though I am there in spirit. Actually I don’t believe in a spirit either so I suppose I’ll just send my best regards and thanks to these courageous trail blazers for same-sex marriage.
But up here in Canada we don’t call it “same-sex marriage”.
We just call it marriage.
Jeffrey, The Gay Groom
