More than 200 gay and lesbian couples
are set to “marry” in Cleveland, Ohio.
The mass wedding, which is sponsored by
gay rights groups Equality Ohio and GetEQUAL Ohio, will take place at
11AM on Saturday, March 24 in front of Willard Park's Free Stamp
sculpture, just blocks from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and
Museum, the Plain
Dealer reported.
The City of Cleveland's domestic
partnership registry is open to gay couples. The number of couples
entering a partnership, which offers few protections, was not known.
Ohio voters in 2004 overwhelmingly
approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a
heterosexual union.
Gay marriage supporters last month
submitted nearly 1,800 signatures to the office of Ohio Attorney
General Mike DeWine, the first step in putting the issue back on the
ballot this fall or next. However, DeWine on Friday announced that
he had rejected the petition's first 1,000 signatures.
“The more people see what same-sex
couples look like and who they are, it enables us to change people's
minds about stereotypes they might have about these couples,” Ed
Mullen, executive director of Equality Ohio, told the paper.
“It's more effective than shouting
through a bullhorn, 'You're oppressing us,'” he added. “If you
don't put people on the defensive from the outset, they might be more
willing to listen and learn.”
UPDATE: Attorney
General Mike DeWine says petition summary is flawed.