Social Issues / Law / Gay Studies
|
Just
Married Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell made international news headlines and human rights history in January 2001 when they became the first gay couple anywhere in the world to be issued a government marriage certificate. The marriage would not become fully legal, however, until the Ontario provincial government registered the marriage, and it refused to do so. Bourassa, Varnell, and their church brought a lawsuit asking for legal registration,. Update: Bourassa and Varnell have received a favorable decision from the Ontario superior court in their suit against the provincial government. Ontario began issuing marriage licences to same-sex couples on June 10, 2003. Just Married is an account by Bourassa and Varnell of how their church, the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, decided to test the Canadian marriage laws, and how they and a lesbian couple agreed to be the ones to make the attempt. Under the Ontario Marriage Act, any adult couple can be granted a marriage license if a church, following ancient tradition, reads the marriage banns on the three Sundays prior to the wedding. Joe and Kevin had long wished to be legally married in their church. They expected controversy, but little expected the massive scale of the international coverage that occurred, as reporting on their intentions and their wedding of them shot across the Internet and their photographs appeared in newspapers not only across North America but also in Europe, Asia, and South America. Despite the legal and political wrangling, the opposition and support they received, the disputes among religious denominations and organizations, and the glare of the media lights, this remains a story of two people who chose to make a life together and sought the support of both church and state for their marriage. They believe they have taken part in an incredible event—one that will change the world, not just for Canadians, but for citizens, families, and communities everywhere.
Here are some other websites with news about their struggle to have their marrage declared valid: |
June
2002 Copublished with Doubleday Canada. Wisconsin edition for sale only in the United States.
Never
ordered from us before? |
Kevin
Bourassa
was raised in Ontario, France, and Germany and moved to Toronto
in 1976. He is in banking and specializes in process management.
Joe Varnell is a Toronto native and works for an electronics
company.
|
|
|
|