Fighting the Good Fight

Something interesting has been going on over here the past few days. I don't typically talk politics on my blog, but this time it's personal.

Katie and I went to high school together. An all-girl Catholic high school, to be exact (Marian). So when someone from Marian contacted me about posting a wedding announcement in the alumni newsletter, I must admit that I was surprised. And ecstatic.

I quickly responded with an emphatic "yes!!" and got to work spreading the good news. We have gotten such great support from friends & acquaintances alike during this time, and I was beaming with pride that our alma mater was there to help us celebrate.

Then, I got a very unfortunate message. Yesterday I was informed that although Marian was ready to send our announcement to print, they did not have the final say. The archdiocese of Omaha has to approve anything that goes into the newsletter, and they did not allow our announcement to go through.

I was crushed.

Not only was I saddened by the fact that I was basically told my relationship with Katie wasn't good enough to be celebrated (at best) or a downright sin (at worst), I just didn't want this to be it. I didn't want thoughts like "maybe that's just how it has to be" to enter my mind. I didn't want to perpetuate the fact that many people were not surprised that this happened. I didn't want to feel so...unimportant.

Katie is the love of my life, and I know that I don't need anyone else to validate that love for me. Still, I shouldn't be treated differently because of it. Maybe (hopefully) someday I won't, but it's apparent to me now that someday isn't quite here yet.

That being said, we're not willing to sit around and wait for someday to come. We are going to take this opportunity to help propel us forward.

Last night, Laura set up a petition on SignOn.org. It is being used to make our voices heard by the archdiocese of Omaha. And when I say "our voices", I mean more than just mine and Kate's and Laura's. I just wasn't sure exactly how many...

In the first hour, we neared 100 signatures. 24 hours later, and we're at 323. (update: We blew past 500 signatures this weekend and were sitting at just over 625 on Monday at noon!) There are signatures from all over the country. There are signatures from family and friends and coworkers. There are signatures from high school friends that I haven't spoken to in over 10 years. There are signatures from complete strangers. I am utterly overwhelmed.

Please, please join our fight. Sign the petition and let your voice be heard. It only takes 30 seconds, and I'd appreciate it more than you can know. I have read every single name and comment on that list - several times! - and my heart continues to swell. Thank you for supporting us!!

http://signon.org/sign/get-lizz-and-katies-wedding.fb12?source=c.fb&r_by=940998

So what do I hope comes from all of this? Ultimately, I hope that the archdiocese of Omaha will start allowing announcements of ALL love. I hope that they realize that we're not asking for their approval of our marriage with this announcement (that's a different argument), but rather, that we are merely asking that we can use the alumni newsletter to share the joyous news of 2 of their alumni (novel idea, right?) I hope that we encourage more people to speak up about this and fight for equality. I hope that we get our voices heard so others have a chance at this in the future.

And, to be honest, I hope to get our wedding announcement printed in our high school alumni newsletter.