When it rains, it pours. Rev. Troy Perry and his partner, Phillip Ray DeBlieck, are suing for the denial of a marriage license in Los Angeles County.
At a news conference Monday at the law offices of their attorney, Gloria Allred, the two men said they went to the Beverly Hills Courthouse this month seeking a license but were denied “solely because of sexual orientation.”
The Rev. Troy D. Perry and his partner of 18 years, Phillip Ray DeBlieck, were married in Canada in July 2003.
Perry founded the Metropolitan Community Churches, “a worldwide fellowship of Christian churches with a special outreach to the world’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities,” according to its Web site.
They said they want to be married in California, the state in which they reside, to give them the recognition and rights afforded by marriages between men and women.
“We have tried everything in our power to marry legally. We have tried holy unions, we have tried demonstrations, we have done everything — we have led those,” a tearful Perry said, holding his partner’s hand.
“But the point comes when this country has to say yes to us. This is a civil rights demonstration. It’s not about a press conference today, it’s about change.”
And I love that Gloria Allred is their attorney. That ought to send right-wing hatemongers pretty close to the edge.
I hate that Allred is their attorney. I love Rev. Perry and was warmed by his presence at MCCNY several months ago. He was talking about his recent book and the inspiration for it: a gay prisoner that was not baptised because he was gay. Perry took time from his ministry to baptise someone that was trying to change his life for good.
Allred is a shrill, egotistical opportunist. I hope her antics won’t overshadow a fight whose time has come.