Times publishes first same-sex civil union announcement
By Times Staff Writer
Published January 4, 2004
The St. Petersburg Times is publishing an item today in some local editions about two Largo residents who traveled to Canada in October for a wedding ceremony.
What makes this notable is that the two residents are men.
This marks the first time that an announcement about a same-sex civil union has reached our threshold for publication, and that is this: The Times will publish the announcement, provided that the couple are local residents and that they had the ceremony in a jurisdiction that recognizes either their civil or religious union. Canada and Vermont fall into that category, and soon Massachusetts will.
While this event might seem to be tied to the recent Massachusetts court ruling involving gay marriage, it has in fact been policy at the Times for some time.
The Times policy is to publish free announcements about marriages (or now, civil unions) that are officially sanctioned by a government. We realized that as other states and Canada changed their laws to include same-sex couples, we would be asked to publish announcements about their ceremonies, too.
In early December, such an announcement arrived, complete with photo and a marriage license number. Today that announcement appears in our Weddings feature in the editions that circulate where the men live.
The Times does not publish announcements for same-sex commitment ceremonies that are held in Florida or other places where there are no legal parameters or registration for such unions. We do, however, offer people an opportunity to buy a paid announcement through our "Celebrations" feature.
We recognize that many people hold strong feelings and beliefs on both sides of this issue. And this publication will no doubt provoke criticism that we have gone too far - or not far enough.
If you'd like to contact us, call Anne Glover, Senior Editor/Readership, at 727/893-8562 or send an e-mail to glover@sptimes.com
