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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Dallas Men Plan Wedding after 53 Years Together

Newlyweds Jack Evans and George Harris
As conservative and homophobic as Texas is and has been, the fact of the matter is that we gays are all over the Lone Star state, everywhere you go from big cities to suburbs to tiny hamlets in the middle of nowhere, ranches, farms, bars, churches, schools, stores, and everywhere in between.

From Dallas comes this remarkable story of a couple who have been going strong since 1961;  and today, Jack Evans and George Harris are finally getting the church wedding they've always wanted.  It won't be legal in Texas until the Supreme Court says so, but after 53 years together, they can't wait any longer.



Jack and George are the founders of The Dallas Way, a group devoted to collecting and preserving the historical record of the LGBT community in North Texas. Here, the couple participate in "Outrageous Oral," an ongoing oral history project:




Another video of Jack and George telling their fascinating stories:




Their story is a tribute to the enduring power of love. All good wishes to the happy couple.


Update: Dallas station WFAA reports on the wedding, with video:



The Dallas Morning News reported the story too, highlighting the challenge to Methodist doctrine that "homosexuality is incompatible with Scripture." Nevertheless, hundreds of guests attended, along with a dozen Methodist ministers from around the state.

What you Yankee boys and other furriners need to understand is that here in Texas, the Methodist Church is the natural choice for the better-educated and semi-liberal folks; compared to the Southern Baptists, the Methodists are almost like freethinkers. So this gay wedding - even though it couldn't be held on Methodist property - is really a sign of significant change.

4 comments:

JCF said...

Mazel Tov!

Tim said...

What a wonderful couple Russ, I look forward to the day when your magnificent organ is renamed - Blue Truck, Pink State!

JCF said...

But I think these guys should follow the example of the Houston mayor, and go somewhere to get their marriage done *legally* ASAP. Hope that the SSM ban-overturn stay is lifted *soon*, but as "golden" as these gentlemen are, I don't think they should wait...

Russ Manley said...

Tim - yes, despite all expectations, Texas seems to be getting pinker by the day!

JCF - I second the motion. Marriage is not really about weddings, it's about protection and security.

El Paso is 600 miles from Dallas, about a ten-hour drive. In El Paso, they could just go right across the state line to New Mexico and make it legal for federal purposes (incl. Social Security, income tax, etc.) - if they want to do that.

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