Gay marriage at TorCon

I left the parties intending to be virtuous and get some editing done before going to bed, but I'm way too tired for that—I couldn't sleep last night, and ended up getting only about three hours' sleep, I think. I've been surprisingly awake all day, but it's just caught up with me.

So I have just enough brainpower left to mention a note in the daily con newsletter, which says that on Thursday afternoon four couples who are members of TorCon got married. It then lists their names, and all eight have male names. I don't know whether, as someone suggested this afternoon, they're Americans who decided to take advantage of this visit to Canada to get hitched even though it won't legally count when they get back to the US, or whether they're Canadians, or some of each, or what, but I still think it's pretty cool. Especially since the note in the newsletter says nothing at all about orientation, just "Torcon 3 congratulates the newlyweds and wishes them many years of happiness!"

Nifty. Yay, Canada!

Oh, and entirely unrelatedly: someone was asking how many members the con has: the newsletter says 3848 members as of today, and presumably there'll be some more buying one- or two-day memberships at the door Saturday and Sunday. I think that's a little small for recent WorldCons, but not as small as I'd have expected for one outside the US.

4 Responses to “Gay marriage at TorCon”

  1. Jennifer Pelland

    “I don’t know whether, as someone suggested this afternoon, they’re Americans who decided to take advantage of this visit to Canada to get hitched even though it won’t legally count when they get back to the US…”

    I know for a fact that at least one couple fits that description. My friends Laura and Ariana did just that. And they say that if Massachusetts does the right thing, they’ll come up here and get married again.

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  2. Heather W

    there were several same-sex US couples who were in Toronto at the end of June for the American Library Association conference and got married there. Doesn’t the legality of these marriages in the US remain to be tested, since the US government has recognized Canadian marriages previously?

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  3. SarahP

    Heya, Jed. Here’s a link to an article in the NYTimes about the gay and lesbian community’s reaction to the Canadian marriage laws:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/31/international/americas/31CANA.html?hp

    You might have to sign into the site to gain access to that article.

    Apparently there’s a lot of heated discussion going on, because many gay and lesbian couples feel they are part of a counterculture and don’t want to be assimilated into mainstream culture. Also, marriage’s assumption about monogamy is a problem for many, who are in committed, yet open relationships.

    And….to change the subject, I hope you’re having a great time at TorCon!! I saw the picture of you and Mary Anne sitting next to Greg and felt very lonesome for you all.

    Gawd, this is incoherent. Need coffee.

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  4. SarahP

    Ew. Sorry about the commas up there.

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