Gay Marriage Supporters Rally at Fairfax Courthouse

“This is a day of love, but for Virginia, it is not yet a day of celebration,” said Rev. Amanda Poppei, Washington Ethical Society, as she emerged from the Fairfax County Courthouse today and announced that a same-sex Fairfax couple had been denied a marriage license.

Supporters billed it as the largest rally ever held in Fairfax to support gay marriage, as about 200 clergy and laypersons gathered outside the courthouse. Moments earlier, Rev. Kären Rasmussen and Barb Brehm, longtime Fairfax residents who are both retired Navy veterans and have been domestic partners for 26 years, had entered the courthouse and requested a marriage license from the Clerk’s office. According to law, their request was denied.

“It’s very hard to be rejected. After 26 years together, you think they’d say, ‘What’s the question?’ “ Brehm said.

Rasmussen thanked the crowd for their support and predicted brighter days to come:  “Although they said, ‘No,’ next time they might say ‘Yes’, and we want you to be here with us when they say ‘Yes’.”

People of Faith for Equality in Virginia (POFEV), together with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax (UUCF), organized the rally on behalf of  lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples who cannot legally obtain a marriage license in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Co-sponsoring the event were the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) represented by UUA President Reverend Peter Morales.

“It is my great hope that we are moving toward a kinder and more just society in which all citizens enjoy equality under the law,” said Mary Katherine Morn, Parish Minister at UUCF. “As a spiritual leader, I am especially concerned about protecting and supporting all those who seek to create loving families — the foundation of our great country. I look forward to working with other people of faith to realize equal rights for LGBT citizens in Virginia.”

“For Unitarian Universalists, support for marriage equality is an expression of our core religious values,” said Rev. Morales. “We affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all people. We believe our laws should treat all people equally and with compassion. We are determined to stand on the side of love and to stand for equal treatment of our LGBT brothers and sisters.”

In 2008, the denomination  launched the “Standing on the Side of Love” campaign to elevate compassionate religious voices to influence public attitudes and public policy.

Photos by Sue Mosher

“While anti-equality voices in Virginia are loud, other religious voices are rising in unison and speaking with love in support of equality for ALL Virginians,” said a prepared statement from the event’s organizers. “The people of faith gathering for this event are confident that, in time, Virginia will fulfill its promise of religious freedom, without discrimination by government, to all its citizens.”

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax is a progressive religious community committed to the mission of transforming ourselves, our community, and the world through acts of love and justice.  As a “welcoming congregation” we seek to build a world where all people are cherished and protected, where love is celebrated, and where justice, equity, and compassion are practiced by all people and all communities. Additional information on UUCF can be found at www.uucf.org.

People of Faith for Equality in Virginia is a statewide interfaith organization of clergy and laypersons committed to achieving full equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Virginians. Founded in 2005, POFEV works with religious leaders and congregations to create a faith-based, broad-based social movement for change in Virginia–freeing faith communities, larger communities, and the General Assembly and state and local governments from the burden and tyranny of sex- and gender-based discrimination and oppression.  More information can be found at http://www.faith4equalityva.org/.

Unitarian Universalist Association is a faith community of more than 1,000 self-governing congregations that bring to the world a vision of religious freedom, tolerance, and social justice. For more information on the UUA’s anti-oppression efforts, visit Standing on the Side of Love