Kitty Lambert, an Irish American lesbian, and her partner Cheryl tried to apply for a marriage license in Buffalo, New York on Thursday. After being denied, Lambert addressed the crowd that was gathered and asked if any man was willing to get married to her.
Ed, a gay man and total stranger to Lambert, volunteered. The two traded information, presented the clerk with the required documents and $40.
Staff of the city verified the information, and presented them with a license. Lambert's point in asking the City Clerk for a license was to show the absence of religious basis for marriage, it serves solely as a legally binding contract for society.
Rather than being presented with the ability to get a marriage license with her long-term partner, Lamber secured the license with a complete stranger - based strictly on their gender.
Once again, being gay is not required to see how discriminatory and insupportable the deprival of equal rights to lesbians and gays has become. Lambert did not perform an act of civil disobedience, but made a point that she was in fact obeying the law.
While this particular action may not change the minds of people who are set in their discriminatory ways, it will make that discrimination much more intolerable.
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