13 months ago
HANCOCK (NEWS CENTER) -- To celebrate their forty years together as a couple, Ron Schwizer and Doug Kimmel gathered with friends and neighbors for a party.
But, Schwizer and Kimmel say the event is about more than their anniversary.
"I guess the main thing is the idea that same-sex couples have lived in Maine as committed couples," Kimmel explained. "They contribute to the community and should be treated as equally as any couple. We should be allowed to celebrate that commitment with the word marriage."
In June, the governor and the state legislature passed the state's first marriage equality act. The law granted gay couples the right to marry in Maine.
"Getting the support, knowing we have the legal supports and rights even though they don't apply to federal laws would make a difference," Schwizer said. "I would have every intention of following through with a legal ceremony."
Schwizer and Kimmel, who moved to the town of Hancock in 1981, were wed in a ceremony at the University of Colorado on August 19, 1969.
One of Kimmel's friends, a Presbyterian minister at the school, presided over the ceremony. They admit that it was not a legal marriage ceremony, despite what it says on their wedding announcements.
The pair have been together ever since, even though the State of Maine does not legally recognize their relationship.
"They see two individuals with no legal connection over their private lives," Kimmel added.
They say their official state status is "legal strangers."
The pair decided to use their fortieth anniversary as a means of bringing attention to the gay marriage debate. About 150 people attended the reception Wednesday night at the Pierre Monteaux School in Hancock.
While Kimmel and Schwizer want to expand the rights of gay couples to marry, opponents of the law have submitted signatures to the state to force a "people's veto" referendum in November.
Stand for Marriage Maine, an organization comprised of business and state leaders and the Catholic Diocese of Maine, handed over more than 100,000 signatures before the ballot deadline in July.
If those signatures are approved by the Secretary of State, Maine would become the first state to hold a public referendum on the gay marriage debate since California voters overturned that state's gay marriage law.
When contacted by NEWS CENTER regarding Kimmel and Schwizer's event, Mark Mutty, the executive chair of Stand For Marriage Maine applauded the couple for their longevity.
But he was quick to add that their marriage does not exist in Maine.
"Obviously it's not true," Mutty stated. "The law does not provide for it in the State of Maine. Come the people's vote in November, that will be made crystal clear."
Mutty pointed out that in the past the Catholic Diocese of Maine has lent its support to gay rights issues in Maine. He adds that this is an issue of protecting the true definition of marriage.
"Congratulations to them for being together for that long and being happy," Mutty exclaimed. "We celebrate that for them. We just don't see the correlation here. The point is two people can get along and have a relationship similar to marriage, but it lacks the basic characteristics of a true marriage."
While opponents are awaiting confirmation of signatures from the state, Kimmel and Schwizer say they're looking forward to the day when Maine voters allow them to legalize their long-term relationship.
NEWS CENTER
