Monday, September 01, 2008

California Nuptials: Gloria Nieto & Jo Kenny / Matt Foreman & Frank De Leon

Four of my favorite people got married this weekend in California.

Jo Kenny
and Gloria Nieto got married on Saturday at their San Jose home surrounded by friends and family on a glorious sunny day. The couple asked guests to donate to the Barack Obama campaign or to the Equality for All campaign in California in lieu of gifts. Equality for All is the lead organization in fighting efforts to nullify the right of same-sex couples in California to marry.

I know that both Jo and Gloria, as so many other people, were mourning the passing of 87 year-old Del Martin on Wednesday, particularly because they personally knew her and her surviving spouse Phyllis Lyon so to be able to celebrate vows in light of the news must have been bittersweet, incredibly moving and life-affirming. Martin and Lyon became the first couple in California to 'remarry' earlier this year when the state officially recognized their right to marry (they had already been married at the 2004 San Francisco ceremonies that pushed California forward on the marriage issue).

I have known Gloria ever since she was a board member of the now-defunct National Latino/a Lesbian and Gay Organization (LLEGO) and have grown closer in recent years. I mean, I did bring her to the Obama side and all! My love to Jo and Gloria and my apologies for not haveing been able to be there to celebrate with them. BTW: The ceremony was officiated (sp?) by the lesbo-rrific councilwoman Jamie McLeod (above with Jo & Gloria). Gloria wants you to know that she is in a tough re-election campaign against a homophobic contender and wants you to support her as well by heading here and finding more about the race. Also, Gloria blogs here.

In the meantime Matt Foreman finally made a good man out of Frank De León (or was it the other way around?). Well, at least they finally stopped living in sin! At least in God's eyes (still, what's up with all that leather? Yikes!).

The boys were married on Saturday in San Francisco with the amazing Shannon Minter officiating (OMG, how LGT of them!). Read all about it in yesterday's New York Times!

Matt I've known forever. At least since he was the Executive Director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project and through his leadership at the Empire State Pride Agenda (he recruited me back then for the agency's board) and through his recent stint as Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. His recent move to san Francisco to become director of gay and immigrant rights programs at the Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund means we get to see less of Matt here in New York which is sad. Frank, who I've also known forever, continues to run his great FADesign here in New York so hopefully there'll be future lunches with the happy couple. Congrats Matt & Frank!

Photo credits: Photo of Jo and Gloria courtesy of Ed Rader via Gloria; Photo of Matt and Frank taken in February by yours truly at the Creating Change conference in Detroit, MI, as Matt bid a public farewell to the Task Force.

1 comment:

Reginald Harris said...

Re: Matt and Frank -- one in leather, one in a suit: it's a Mixed Marriage!:)