To date, Scott Emanuel and Ed Reggi of Show Me No Hate have ferried over 100 same sex couples on eight chartered buses to legally wed in Iowa. What’s more—they’ve helped an additional 100-couples navigate the paperwork and bureaucracy to make the trip and marry on their own. That’s over 200 St. Louis area gay, lesbian or same gender couples who’ve tied the knot in The Hawkeye State over the past two years—impressive.
The story of Scott and Ed and the Marriage Bus is told in the new documentary short, “Heartland Transport” which is showing at Gay and Lesbian film festivals across the country and debuted at The Tivoli, March 28, 2010 at the 3rd Annual Q Fest.
In April 2009 the Iowa Supreme court unanimously upheld the ruling holding that there was no governmental interest in denying citizens marriage licenses based on their sexual orientation. Accordingly, Scott and Ed decided to get married in Iowa before the legislature there could pass a yet-to-be-established residency requirement. But when other gay and lesbian couples showed an interest in going as well, the idea of the Marriage Bus was born.
On May 1, 2009, Scott and Ed led 16- same sex couples, clergy, family, friends and media on the historic first ride to Iowa City. Later that fall, on Oct. 2, the duo took another busload with 14 couples to legally tie the knot. On March 12, 2010, a third bus of 17-couples, supporters and media made the trek with yours truly and my now-husband, Kurt Ross along for the ride.
To borrow the phrase from Scott—one day changes everything.
Like many of you, Kurt and I have been together for a good long while (12-years) and considered ourselves “married” despite the law. For when we first got together, not a single state offered Civil Unions—let alone marriage equality—so it’s been a long and moving journey to the altar in Iowa.
We boarded the bus at 5 a.m. outside of the MCC Church on Broadway. I couldn’t sleep the night before and hoped to nap on the bus. But our minds raced with excitement as we headed up Highway 61 and rest could wait.
For those who don’t know me, I place a great deal of importance on history. Kurt does, too—hence the good fit. So when we and our fellow travelers picked up our marriage licenses at the Johnson County Iowa Recorders Office and made our way to the church, we did not walk alone.
With us were the generations of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals who did not live to see this day. For we stand astride the shoulders of foremothers and forefathers who lived and loved and fought to prepare the ground. We walked down the aisle with future generations in mind—generations who will no doubt marvel that we had to leave family and friends behind and drive to another state to be married.
Just before she married us, Rabbi Susan Talve shared with Kurt and me that she’d been performing same sex unions for 30-years and how it broke her heart that they weren’t legal. It is Susan’s hope that these legal marriages in Iowa are somehow healing the soul of our nation. For injustice is an affront to Democracy’s ideal, and as our long and imperfect history shows us—America eventually gets it right.
Throughout our own ceremony and bearing witness to 16-glorious others; there wasn’t a dry eye in the church that day. While there remains much work to be done—on that day, you could feel the yoke of inequality loosen its grip one state and one marvelous marriage at a time.
In the end it was the story of two people and one love. We each took separate journeys spanning two to 32-years, and when we looked into our partners’ eyes, in the presence of our tribe and with the blessing of the of the great state of Iowa—we said, “I do.”
Indeed, one day changes everything.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: REINHARD ZAPFE
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