Philadelphia Mayor Officiates Homosexual “Marriage”
The following are excerpts from a November 26, 2007 article appearing on CNSNews.com.
“Philadelphia Mayor Presides Over Same-Sex ‘Wedding’”
By Randy Hall, CNSNews.com – November 26, 2007Outgoing Philadelphia Mayor John Street officiated at his first same-sex commitment ceremony at City Hall on Saturday. A pro-family organization said the event marked a “dark day in the history of the City of Brotherly Love.”
…
The ceremony celebrated the relationship of 33-year-old Micah Mahjoubian, who serves as deputy secretary of external affairs in Street’s administration, and his male partner, 32-year-old Ryan Bunch.
For the 64-year-old Street, who is concluding his final year as the city’s mayor, the event was a significant departure from the Democrat who was elected to the office eight years ago on a family-values platform rooted in his personal faith as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian.
…
Nevertheless, Street emphasized that the event would have no legal weight in Pennsylvania since neither same-sex “marriage” nor civil unions are recognized there.
“It’s not marriage. It’s not real marriage. They can’t be married,” he told the Inquirer. “It’s not a religious ceremony. I mean, it’s not really marriage.”
…
The mayor has officiated at fewer than 10 marriages during his two terms, she said. “Even though he is insisting [that] the ceremony is not marriage, homosexual activists are viewing it as a political statement and a giant step forward in their quest for so-called ‘marriage equality,’” said Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania.
She pointed to a comment made last week by Steven Goldstein, chairman of the New Jersey-based group Garden State Equality, who said, “Every single time a public official like Mayor Street performs a ceremony, it strengthens the case for marriage equality.”
< end of excerpts from article >
Read the entire news article here:
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200711/NAT20071126a.html
RELATED INFORMATION:
PA School District Erases “Gay History” Month From Calendar After Intense Pressure from Families
PA School District Erases “Gay History” Month From Calendar After Intense Pressure from Families
Philadelphia City Council Succumbs to Homosexual Activists’ Pressure; Ends Historic Lease to Boy Scouts
Philadelphia Seeks To Cater to All Manner of Sexual Deviancy
Philadelphia Seeks To Cater to All Manner of Sexual Deviancy