Tyler Barrick and Spencer Jones were legally married in San Francisco on June 17, 2008. The couple is headed to Jones's hometown in southern Utah next week for a family party, so they thought it would be fitting to print a wedding announcement in hometown paper The Spectrum. Unfortunately, the paper didn't think the news of their marriage was fit to print.
Initially the paper agreed, but asked that the announcement be printed without a photo, since showing a husband and husband might make readers uncomfortable. The couple asked the publisher to reconsider their photo, but ultimately, the newspaper rejected the request altogether, saying that it only publishes announcements for marriages legal under Utah law.
Jones, who was raised Mormon, has commented on the personal importance of the announcement:
"I've thought a lot about the gay and lesbian kids who are surely all over the place in southern Utah. . . . When I was a kid . . . I would have loved to have seen a picture of two guys having their life together celebrated in the paper."
Attempting to print a marriage announcement in anti-gay-marriage territory seems like a creative way to call attention to the cause. Do you think it was a good idea?
Piquadro
Browns Fashion
Benefit
Ugh. The argument that there marriage isn't recognized under Utah law seems like such a cop-out. You're right Tres, this would be a good way to bring attention to the gay marriage cause in a nontraditional way.
1Something similar to that happened in my hometown, except the newspaper had the cajones to actually print the announcement, picture and all. But the backlash that it caused against the newspaper and the couple truly showed how backwards the town was, it made me ashamed to say I was from there.
2thats disappointing-
3Hmmm. Polygamy is also not recognized under Utah law, but I'd be willing to bet that a few of those wedding announcements have been published.
4Jabbadoo--are you kidding?
LDS doesn't do polygamy. In fact they abhor it. In NO way would a polygamous marriage get an announcement.
5I agree with Tisgirl. "The Spectrum" pulled a cop-out. They were being homophobic, which is based on intolerance and hate. That paper is a disgrace and discredit to journalism.
6I have no problem with it. But only if San Francisco papers agree to stop running straight wedding announcements.
I think the whole paper wedding announcement thing is narcissistic anyway.
7Who cares. It's their newspaper so they have the right to print what they want. I'm sure theres another paper out there in their town or near it, that would print the announcement.
8when are people going to get over the whole negativity towards gay people. its like, they arent going to stop being gay! so why waste time on being so against it?
9Reading that a news paper held a story because it was worried that it might make some people uncomfortable is so laughable. If that were truly their criteria for printing stories this paper would be out of business. Not to mention you'd think a news paper would be wholeheartedly behind free speech. They could have printed a disclaimer if it really got their panties in a bunch but to deny a wedding announcement is silly and in my personal opinion ignorant.
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