Subject: IMMEDIATE RELEASE: GAY WEDDING DEMONSTRATION MOVED TO LINCOLN MEMORIAL
From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 16:31:03 EDT

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Maaza Mengiste
Communications Director, UFMCC
(310) 360-8640, Ext. 226
[email-masked]
http://www.ufmcc.com 

GAY WEDDING DEMONSTRATION TO TAKE PLACE AT LINCOLN MEMORIAL

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA- April 7, 2000 -- The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan 
Community Churches is very proud to announce that due to the overwhelming 
response to "The Wedding: Now More Than Ever", a public demonstration and 
non-sectarian blessing in celebration of same-sex marriage, the location for 
"The Wedding" has been changed to the stunning Lincoln Memorial.

"The Wedding: Now More Than Ever" will be one of the major highlights of the 
Millennium March on Washington, which will be held April 29 - 30, 2000 in 
Washington, DC.  The March will be the fourth national GLBT civil rights 
march to promote equal rights for all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender 
individuals.  The March will also be one of the first human rights marches of 
the new millennium.  

Rev. Troy D. Perry conducted "The Wedding" for 2600 couples at the 1993 March 
on Washington.  That event currently stands as the largest same-sex wedding 
demonstration and celebration in history. This year, almost 800 couples from 
41 states, including Canada and Puerto Rico, have pre-registered for "The 
Wedding", a record high with numbers escalating every day.  On-site 
registration is also available.

"The Wedding: Now More Than Ever" will take place on Saturday, April 29 at 
10:45 a.m. For a $25 registration fee, couples’ names will be registered in a 
permanent historical archive of "The Wedding: Now More Than Ever" and a 
limited edition, personalized certificate of participation suitable for 
framing will be prepared.

There is no charge for those who wish to participate without registering for 
the archive and certificate.  To register for The Wedding online, go to http:/
/www.ufmcc.com.

Speakers at "The Wedding" will include The Rev. Jimmy Creech, a former 
ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. One of the GLBT community’s 
staunchest allies, he was stripped of his ordination credentials in 1999, 
following his second church trial for charges stemming from Creech’s blessing 
of a same-gender holy union ceremony.  Rev. Creech will attend with his wife, 
Chris Weedy, and their daughter.

Rabbi Jane Litman of San Francisco will be speaking on the recent 
announcement by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the rabbinical arm 
of Reform Judaism, that their members are free to officiate at same-sex 
unions.

Tony, an Australian citizen, and Richard, an American, will share their story 
about their difficulties with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization 
Services.  They are seeking Permanent Residency for Tony and are struggling 
with the immigration laws that deny gay couples the same rights as 
heterosexual couples.

Also at "The Wedding" will be winners of the search for two same-sex couples 
who have been together the longest: Rev. Ralph Lasher and Harry Gibson, a gay 
couple from of Houston, Texas (45 years); and Flo Gibbons and Bobby Sherwin, 
a lesbian couple from Venice, Florida and Toronto, Canada (42 years).

The Lesbian and Gay Bands Of America (L.G.B.A.), the national musical 
organization comprised of concert and marching bands from cities across 
America, will supply the romantic and inspirational music before and during 
the ceremony and demonstration.  L.G.B.A. formed in 1982 and has grown from 
seven independent bands to 22 bands dedicated to making political statements 
through music.  

Rev. Troy D. Perry states, "It will be an honor for members of the gay 
community and their allies to stand before the Lincoln Memorial, this great 
American symbol of freedom, and demand equal rights for LGBT persons.  There 
is no better place this could happen.  God is continually working on our 
behalf and we are seeing results."

He adds, "I look forward to seeing all of you at the Millennium March on 
Washington, April 29-30, 2000 in Washington, DC as we stand together to 
demand from our government all our civil rights. I look forward to standing 
at the beautiful Lincoln Memorial and seeing my brothers and sisters united 
in a common cause.  Please join me in this historic moment.  Together, we can 
make things happen." 

For more information on the March on Washington for Equality, visit our web 
site at www.ufmcc.com.