LGBTQ couples
in Missouri flocked
to the St. Louis City Hall last week to get married before far-right
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed.
Senate
Republicans have prioritized the judicial extremist’s confirmation over COVID
relief negotiations in a bid to ensconce her in the seat before the upcoming
election.
Fear has
spread through the queer community about what Coney Barrett’s perch on the
Court will mean for LGBTQ rights, but Lot’s Wife Pastor Tori Jameson struggled
with how to respond.
“She is
notoriously anti-LGBTQ,” Jameson
told them. “She has made statements against Roe,
against immigration. I worry about our rights being rolled back if she gets in.
But I don’t have a lot of political power. I’m just a community pastor.”
Jameson
decided to offer free wedding ceremonies to any lovebirds who wanted to take
them up on the offer “while we still have the chance.” Not only could days
of mass weddings serve as a protest, but it could also give participating
couples some safety for their relationships.
As news spread
on social media about the “Pop UP Elopements,” the wider community turned out
in support of the initiative. What had originally been planned as a one-time
event, was expanded to stretch over four days.
Florists,
bakers, photographers, decorators, and officiants volunteered their services
for joyful ceremonies that touched the heart of the city. In all, 16 couples
were wed.
Photographer Alecia Hoyt took
stunning photos of couples like Cole and Lawrence (pictured above) and
explained why on her Facebook page.
“I am a part
of the LGBTQ+ community, and I have dear family and friends who are part of the
community,” she said. “Can you believe that it has only been 5 years that these
humans have been able to be legally married just like any hetero couple? 5
years, and now it feels like that human right is under threat again with
potential upcoming changes to the Supreme Court.”
Calling the
couple “two ridiculously handsome grooms,” Hoyt added that the men’s children
had also attended the ceremony, but weren’t pictured for privacy reasons.
“They were so
dapper they took my breath away, and their entire family was adorable. So cute
I couldn’t stand it,” she said.
“Trust me when I tell you they melted my heart.”
Republicans
currently hold 53 out of 100 seats in the Senate, but are expected to lose
several seats in the election.
Donald Trump
has said that he wants Barrett to be approved and sworn in as a Supreme Court
justice before the November 3 elections so that she can rule on matters related
to the election and how ballots are counted.
“This has been
a sham process from the beginning,” said a statement from the Senate Democrats
on Barrett’s nomination.
“Amidst a
global pandemic and ongoing election, Republicans are rushing to confirm a
Supreme Court Justice to take away health care from millions and execute the
extreme and deeply unpopular agenda that they’ve been unable to get through
Congress.”
SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION
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