On the afternoon of May 10, ten LGBT couples requested and were denied marriage licenses at the Forsyth County Register of Deeds in Winston-Salem, as part of Stage 3 of the WE DO Campaign. Surrounded by a large crowd who supported and affirmed their actions, these couples held their heads high as they requested licenses. Aly and her partner applied for a marriage license, as their two sons watched. Aly and her partner have visited lawyers to gain some legal protections, but Aly explains: “We don’t have any of the over 1,100 federal rights and protections afforded to others through civil marriage, and we’ll only truly know the strength of our legal agreements when one of us dies, when it’s too late to fix any errors or weak points in our documents.” Another couple, Diana and Li, had a beautiful marriage ceremony in front of over 85 close friends and family members in 2011. They took action to show that they should also be legally wed. You can read more about Aly and her partner here and Diana and Li here.
After being denied a marriage license with her partner, Mary Jamis began a planned, peaceful sit in, joined by a member of another couple and their friend and ally, Mary Lee Bradford. The sit in led to the arrest of Jamis and Bradford on trespassing charges.
During the third stage of the WE DO Campaign, LGBT couples will continue applying for marriage licenses through May 15 across the state.
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