Lesbian Couple Originally Banned from Saint Joseph's University Valentine's Day Contest Wins!

Saint Joseph’s University alumni lesbian couple Katie MacTurk and Megan Edwards have won the Alumni Association’s How I Met My Hawk Mate Valentine’s Day contest. The couple was originally told they would not be allowed to participate, but after a push using social media, the couple was added to the list of participating couples.

The contest was hosted on the Saint Joseph’s University Alumni Association Facebook page by posting photos of the couples posted with the story of how they met during their time at the university. The couple with the most  “Likes” by Valentine’s Day would be the winner of $100 restaurant gift card.

Originally MacTurk and Edwards were told their submission would not be accepted because “the Catholic Church does not recognize same-sex marriage.”

After receiving that news from the Alumni Association, the couple posted about the ordeal on their own pages. “Words cannot express the disappointment and sadness we felt after hearing this.” They also asked their friends and other alumni to share their post, to help “ensure that all alumni are treated fairly and equally.”

Their call for help worked, and the couple’s story and photo were added to the How I Met My Hawk Mate contest on February 2. The couple received more than 2,500 “Likes” by the end of the contest, and the Alumni Association posted this announcement to the organizations Facebook page:

Dear Alumni,

We sincerely thank everyone who participated in the “How I Met My Hawkmate” contest. We are grateful to all alumni who shared their heartwarming stories with us. Congratulations to our winners Megan Edwards ’09 and Katie MacTurk ’09.

MacTurk and Edwards are engaged, and plan to marry next year. They have given the $100 restaurant gift card to Saint Joseph’s University Gay/Straight Alliance.

Check out MacTurk and Edwards’ story in SheWired’s Real Life Lesbian Love Stories.

Follow SheWired on Twitter!

Follow SheWired on Facebook!