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My First Gay Wedding.
Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I attended the wedding of her boss and his partner of 30 years. It was a pretty high profile event, attended by former MA govenors Bill Weld and Jane Swift, Boston mayor Tom Menino, and other local high profile mucky mucks.
During the cermony, as I sat in the chapel taking in this historic occasion, I couldn't help but think to myself; Jesus Christ it's hot in here. No a.c., no ventilation, my friggin' shirt is soaked with sweat, get this over with so I can get outta here and get some air. God, I hate wearing suits!
In other words, a typical wedding.
Below is an article from Boston's tabloid rag, The Herald. I am sorely disappointed that there is no mention of me among the attendees.
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GOP: Gay old party: Weld, Swift attend Republican grooms' wedding
By Ann E. Donlan
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
The Republican divide in Massachusetts over gay marriage was evident yesterday as former Gov. William F. Weld delivered the homily at a Beacon Hill same-sex wedding ceremony while Gov. Mitt Romney [related, bio] returned from Washington after a national plea for a federal gay marriage ban.
``I think the Republican Party is a big tent,'' Weld said minutes after ebullient guests spilled out of the historic King's Chapel where his former revenue commissioner and longtime friend Mitchell Lash Adams married Weld's former chief of staff Kevin Michael Smith.
``If I had been down (in Washington), I think I would have been testifying on the opposite side,'' Weld added.
``I was terrified when I saw I'd been assigned the homily. I didn't know what a homily was so I just told war stories about Mitchell and Kevin,'' Weld said.
``We have two different kinds of Republicans,'' said wedding guest Mary Bonauto, the lawyer who represented the seven same-sex couples who brought the Goodridge lawsuit that made Massachusetts the first state in the nation to legalize gay marriage.
The couple, dressed in black suits with boutonnieres, refused comment on Romney's appearance today before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Weld, who said the Adams-Smith nuptials were the first gay wedding he had attended since the marriages became legal on May 17, made light of his difference with the Republican Party's efforts to turn back the tide on gay marriage. ``That's not the first time. How do I feel? Normal. Comfortable.''
Former acting Gov. Jane M. Swift, who also attended the wedding, avoided commenting on the irony of Romney's Washington anti-gay marriage mission coinciding with Weld's jubilant participation in a marriage of close gay friends.
``I don't even get the symbolism anymore,'' Swift said. ``I'm happy for Kevin and Mitchell and I try to stay out of current political debates.''
The parade of notable Bostonians and Beacon Hill dignitaries among the 228 guests drew the attention of passers-by and other regulars on the Hill - including a panhandler who is a fixture in the area. He had planted himself outside the church and acted as an unofficial greeter, yelling the names of officials as they approached at the corner of School and Cambridge streets.
After the man yelled to Senate President Robert E. Travaglini before he even crossed the intersection, Travaglini handed the man a $20 bill, urging him to ``do the right thing.''
Seconds later, the man vanished, and the parade continued: Boston Mayor Thomas Menino; former Attorney General Francis X. Bellotti, Boston police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole and State Auditor A. Joseph DeNucci.
Weld said he was ``proud and happy'' Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, who he appointed, took a stand backing gay marriage so ``we could all be here today.''
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