By Sarah Mieras
GRAND RAPIDS – On Feb. 20th, as they filed two by two into the Kent County Clerk's office to apply for marriage licenses, more than 60 people hoped to make it clear that even in conservative enclaves like West Michigan gay and lesbian couples want the right to marry.
"Being gay in West Michigan is a lot more difficult than in other parts of the state," said one of the event's organizers, Torrence O'Haire. "We are here today to show Grand Rapids that this is an issue here, not just in places like San Francisco."
Gathered on Calder Plaza, students and members of the community prepared to keep the Clerk's Office busy with marriage licenses well into the afternoon lunch hour. One of the first couples to approach the Clerk's counter, Lindsay Boersma and Anna Fisk, knew that their application will be rejected.
"You're welcome to fill out the form, but I can't file it," says a County worker behind the Counter.
Slowly Fisk and Boersma filled in the form as tears surfaced in both of their eyes.
"We really do want to get married someday. We want the tax benefits and the health benefits, most of all we want the recognition," said Boersma.
Waiting their turn to approach the counter, Morgan Shelburne and Jaeden Wagner, both students at Grand Valley State University, said that all of the "hoopla" over marriage rights in San Francisco has made it possible for a rally in Grand Rapids to get attention.
"We want to get married because we are in love. Why shouldn't we have that right? It's the principal of the matter, it's about being recognized by the state," explained Wagner.
Couples longing for wedding bells weren't the only ones to join the rally on Calder Plaza. Jazmin Valencia, 17, heard about the protest during a recent Gay/Straight Alliance meeting at her High School. Taking a break from classes, she stood alongside her lesbian mom, Paula Valencia during the rally.
"Why should anybody else care what other people are doing at home?" asked Jazmin. "I think anybody that wants to get married should be able to."
Others, like Julie Lubbers and Veronica Soto, stood in support of the couples filing the marriage applications.
"Marriage isn't something either one of us think much about, but there are other gay people who want to get married, and we think they should be able to," said Soto.
Without the protections of marriage rights, gay and lesbian couples often find themselves in difficult situations. Two years ago, Lubbers' partner died suddenly, and without a legal bond to one another she was unable to ensure that her partner's wishes were carried out.
"When she died I became the roommate. She wanted to be cremated but was buried," said Lubbers. "And at the funeral, it was as if our relationship had never existed."
Watching the steady stream of couples file into her office, Kent County Clerk Mary Hollinrake explained that the protest is a natural part of democracy.
"If people want to come and make a statement they can. This is a government building and it is their building."
Filing the marriage applications though is out of her jurisdiction, said Hollinrake.
"In the marriage laws it states very clearly who can be married in Michigan. It states that no man shall marry a man and no woman shall marry a woman."
When asked if she had received applications from gay and lesbian couples in the past, Hollinrake explained that prior to the protest the County had received two requests over the past three years.
"We always expect something like this to happen around Valentine's Day though."
