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Watch out, right-wingers: For some gay men, even one marriage is not enough. A new Wall Street Journal piece profiles Daniel McNeil and Patrick Canavan, a pair of partners who began with a 1998 wedding in Washington, D.C.—-and Just. Couldn’t. Stop.
Since wedding (unofficially) in Washington, McNeil and Canavan “have chased evolving laws across the U.S. to secure a civil union in Vermont, a domestic partnership in the District of Columbia and, in August, a marriage in California.”
McNeil and Canavan aren’t alone. Many gay couples, the WSJ reports, move to fortify their vows when newer, more comprehensive legislation is passed in another state, hoping the multiple ceremonies will “cover the nation’s uneven legal patchwork.” But the practice can lead to further legal problems:
Multiple marriages create more legal uncertainty. Karen Hong Yee, director of the San Francisco County clerk’s office, says she tells gay couples they can’t marry more than once. [One marriage-seeker] Ms. McBride says her lawyer disagrees, and views California marriages as more likely to stand up in California than Canadian marriages will if Proposition 8 passes.
I think this is fascinating. Though I’m betting it will probably incense right-wing anti-gay-marriage activists even more.