On May 25, a sunny day in the northwest, Cat Elliott bent on one knee in Seattle's Volunteer Park and proffered a diamond ring. She asked Kirstyn Palmisano, her girlfriend of three and a half years, to marry her.
After the flurry of "yeses," the couple raced off to tell friends and family. They plan to hold a symbolic marriage ceremony in Park City in about a year and register with the state of Washington as domestic partners, a status that confers some of the same rights as marriage. "The planning is so much fun, why rush it?" Elliott said, adding, "maybe by then it will be legal."
Elliott and Palmisano spent Sunday walking in the Utah Pride parade with members of Equality Utah, a group that lobbies for gay rights in the state. Unlike the fortuitous weather on the day of Elliott's engagement, torrential rain fell for much of Sunday. late morning, they were drenched. Joining them on the route through Salt Lake City's downtown were Elliott's parents, Torch and Sally Elliott, who is a member of the Summit County Council.
News of the wedding comes less than two weeks after the council passed 4-1 a resolution that may provide the framework to extend health benefits to the same-sex partners of county employees.
The resolution, endorsed by Equality Utah, does not bind county officials to provide health benefits to same-sex couples, but does urge inclusion. Sally called the resolution a "baby step," but nonetheless a step forward and said the council's vote matched the general political will of those they represent.
Any changes to county policy would have little bearing on Cat and Kirstyn, of course. But even the discussion of benefits is a marked shift compared to when Cat first came out of the closet during her freshman year at Park City High School. "I was 14," she said at a coffee shop Sunday, sitting beside Palmisano. "I was one of the only people I knew to come out in high school. It was amazing. All my friends were the best-looking guys and girls in the school, so no one messed with me."
Some even saw her as a kind of gay pioneer: She was one of the first of her generation to come out at Park City High, and certainly the first of the graduating class of 1996. And while friends and family remained supportive Cat says her mom knew she was gay at age three the gay community in Park City remained woefully small.
Not that that stopped Cat. "I was the classic 'throw the Barbie doll across the room and reach for the toy trucks,'" she laughed.
Sally agreed. "She always preferred Tonka trucks to dolls," she said.
Supportive of her daughter's same-sex attraction long before it was hip or widely politically acceptable to do so, Sally said simply, "It was never an issue in our family. It wasn't something any of us thought had to be overcome."
Now it was Cat's turn to chime in. "My mom was more worried about me going to law school than she was about me coming out," she said, smiling.
Cat did go to law school.
After graduating from high school, she attended Smith College in Massachusetts and went on to work at a private investigator in New York City. Then she attended Seattle University's law program.
Today, Elliott, 30, is a public defender for troubled teens. Palmisano, who is four years younger than Elliott, recently graduated from the University of Washington's law school. She also plans to practice law in the Seattle area.
Some of Cat's young clients face a steep climb. Many of their misdeeds spring from lack of family support, what Cat calls "crimes of fitting in," and a handful of them have come out to her. Cat sympathizes. "I never had the family struggle, but many of my friends did," she explained.
Cat and Kirstyn have followed the national marriage debate closely. With big wins for same-sex unions in the Midwest and elsewhere, they're optimistic about their chances to get married, but they don't plan on eloping to Iowa or Connecticut because those unions aren't currently honored in Washington, anyway.
In Utah, support for same-sex partnerships has trended upward in recent months, according to Lauren Barros, an attorney whose family practice represents gay couples. Marriage equality advocates have seen a shift in public opinion since 2004, when voters passed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the state.
"If you do not believe in equal rights for gays and lesbians, you're the odd man out," she said.
On May 25, a sunny day in the northwest, Cat Elliott bent on one knee in Seattle's Volunteer Park and proffered a diamond ring. She asked Kirstyn Palmisano, her girlfriend of three and a half years, to marry her.After the flurry of "yeses," the couple raced off to tell friends and family. They plan to hold a symbolic marriage ceremony in Park City in about a year and register with the state of Washington as domestic partners, a status that confers some of the same rights as marriage. "The planning is so much fun, why rush it?" Elliott said, adding, "maybe by then it will be legal."Elliott and Palmisano spent Sunday walking in the Utah Pride parade with members of Equality Utah, a group that lobbies for gay rights in the state. Unlike the fortuitous weather on the day of Elliott's engagement, torrential rain fell for much of Sunday. late morning, they were drenched. Joining them on the route through Salt Lake City's downtown were Elliott's parents, Torch and Sally Elliott, who is a member of the Summit County Council.News of the wedding comes less than two weeks after the council passed 4-1 a resolution that may provide the framework to extend health benefits to the same-sex partners of county employees.The resolution, endorsed by Equality Utah, does not bind county officials to provide health benefits to same-sex couples, but does urge inclusion. Sally called the resolution a "baby step," but nonetheless a step forward and said the council's vote matched the general political will of those they represent.Any changes to county policy would have little bearing on Cat and Kirstyn, of course. But even the discussion of benefits is a marked shift compared to when Cat first came out of the closet during her freshman year at Park City High School. "I was 14," she said at a coffee shop Sunday, sitting beside Palmisano. "I was one of the only people I knew to come out in high school. It was amazing. All my friends were the best-looking guys and girls in the school, so no one messed with me."Some even saw her as a kind of gay pioneer: She was one of the first of her generation to come out at Park City High, and certainly the first of the graduating class of 1996. And while friends and family remained supportive Cat says her mom knew she was gay at age three the gay community in Park City remained woefully small.Not that that stopped Cat. "I was the classic 'throw the Barbie doll across the room and reach for the toy trucks,'" she laughed.Sally agreed. "She always preferred Tonka trucks to dolls," she said.Supportive of her daughter's same-sex attraction long before it was hip or widely politically acceptable to do so, Sally said simply, "It was never an issue in our family. It wasn't something any of us thought had to be overcome."Now it was Cat's turn to chime in. "My mom was more worried about me going to law school than she was about me coming out," she said, smiling.Cat did go to law school.After graduating from high school, she attended Smith College in Massachusetts and went on to work at a private investigator in New York City. Then she attended Seattle University's law program.Today, Elliott, 30, is a public defender for troubled teens. Palmisano, who is four years younger than Elliott, recently graduated from the University of Washington's law school. She also plans to practice law in the Seattle area.Some of Cat's young clients face a steep climb. Many of their misdeeds spring from lack of family support, what Cat calls "crimes of fitting in," and a handful of them have come out to her. Cat sympathizes. "I never had the family struggle, but many of my friends did," she explained.Cat and Kirstyn have followed the national marriage debate closely. With big wins for same-sex unions in the Midwest and elsewhere, they're optimistic about their chances to get married, but they don't plan on eloping to Iowa or Connecticut because those unions aren't currently honored in Washington, anyway.In Utah, support for same-sex partnerships has trended upward in recent months, according to Lauren Barros, an attorney whose family practice represents gay couples. Marriage equality advocates have seen a shift in public opinion since 2004, when voters passed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the state. "If you do not believe in equal rights for gays and lesbians, you're the odd man out," she said.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..