Same-sex marriage makes people cry
Yesterday was an incredible day in Michigan. Although by the end of the day the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals had slammed shut the short window of opportunity by the end of the day, for a few short hours, couples flooded the four County Clerks' offices that opened on Saturday and some 300 of the couples were married.
We have an extensive photoblog up at Eclectablog with photos from both Washtenaw County and Oakland County where these photos were taken.
Please stop by and share the joy.
One of the most ironic moments of the day yesterday was the marriage of Republican strategist and operative Greg McNeilly to his partner Douglas Meeks in Ingham County:
Republican strategist Greg McNeilly married his partner Douglas Meeks in one of the first same-sex marriages in Michigan.
McNeilly, 42, and Meeks, 37, married on Saturday morning at the Ingham County Courthouse in Mason the day after a judge struck down the state's ban on gay marriage. [...]
McNeilly previously served as executive director of the Michigan Republican Party and campaign manager for Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos.
He now runs the Michigan Freedom Fund, a conservative political advocacy group, and is chief operating officer for The Windquest Group, an investment firm founded by DeVos.
The DeVos family last year donated to the campaigns of three Holland City Council incumbents who voted against a proposal to expand the city's anti-discrimination ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity. [...]
He still backs the Republican Party, despite its leaders' efforts to defend Michigan's constitutional ban on gay marriage.
It's hard for me to grasp how Mr. McNeilly contends with the cognitive dissonance he must experience championing a political party that doesn't recognize him, his partner, or their marriage as equal and legitimate under the law.
Photos by Anne C. Savage