The below letter was sent to media in my partner’s hometown of Macon, Georgia, after I learned that the local paper refused to publish our same-sex wedding announcement. The story resulted in widespread media coverage in the Georgia Voice and others, with pickup by GLAAD, and even led to a in the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling overturning the Defense of Marriage Act. The storm of attention led to the paper reversing its decision and publishing its first-ever same-sex marriage announcement.
Dear [redacted],
I thought you might be interested in sharing this recent item with your readers. When my partner, Rachel Hussey, and I submitted our wedding announcement to The Telegraph based in Macon last week, we were told the paper would not run it. According to Classified Service Rep Delores Sheppard, the paper is “not able to accept announcements for same sex announcements at this time. It is not recognized as legal in Georgia and therefore we are unable to publish them.”
Rachel (22) and I (24) have been together almost two years and are planning a non-legal wedding ceremony, officiated by Reverend Virginia Ferrari, to celebrate with our friends and family on August 25 in Norfolk, Virginia, where we reside. A legal ceremony to make the marriage official will follow in September in our nation’s capital city. Rachel, who was born and raised in Macon with her four siblings, hoped her hometown paper would run our announcement a week before the planned ceremony.
If you would like more details on this story, please feel free to contact me at [redacted]. You may also visit www.RachelandLaura.com for more information on our wedding plans. A photo of Rachel and me is attached.
Sincerely,
Laura Wilson