Love On Trial Part Five
Over the course of this week I am going to be blogging about something very personal and near to my heart: The trial of my sister’s life partner who is a lesbian pastor in the Methodist Church. I am going to open myself up and dish out my heart to my readers in an effort of raising awareness about what is happening in our country, especially in light of the gay marriage ban that the Minnesota Senate is currently trying to pass on our upcoming election ballots.

Rev. Amy Delong is on trial with the Methodist Church for being an openly-gay pastor in a committed relationship; and also for officiating the marriage of other gay couples.   My sister, Val, and her partner,   Amy,   reside in Wisconsin and have been legally granted Domestic Partnership since November 2009 when it first became legalized in the state.   For more information on Amy and her trial visit www.loveontrial.org and also become a fan on facebook.

Please check back  frequently for photos and updates as the trial progresses, and remember to read previous posts as well!

Part Five
This morning supporters awoke to a beautiful suprise! The cold drizzle had stopped and the sun was shining brightly!! As they gathered outside the church someone handed out Methodist Hymnals to everyone and they started singing while jurors started arriving. Sue explained how a song can bring back powerful memories, and she wanted everyone to remember this trial through some of the songs they sang. Val and Amy arrived and were greeted with hugs and support as they entered the church. It was such a beautiful way to start the morning.

Today the trial will see several witness testimonies, including Carrie, one of the lesbians that Amy is on trial for performing their union ceremony. Over six years ago when Brad and I first were engaged we knew that we wanted Amy to perform our wedding ceremony. Obviously we live in the straight world and it was acceptable for her to perform our ceremony, but we really wanted to have her do this for us because we knew she would put a lot of feeling and meaning into it. Neither of us are believers in organized religion or “God”, but I am a spiritual person and believe in a higher power (whether you want to call it God, Universe, Mother Nature, etc that is your decission). Amy knew we didn’t want any religious scripture in our ceremony, and man did she knock our sermon out of the park! It was the most personal, intimate, loving, caring, and humorous ceremony a person could have ever asked for! I absolutely understand why Carrie and her partner wanted Amy to perform their ceremony, and I totally understand why Amy felt the calling to do so. What gets me is that gay marriage isn’t even legal, so it was simply a “commitment ceremony” and I don’t understand how the church can even stand a leg to bring Amy on trial for performing such an act. It shows me the churces true colors and how hateful and un-loving they are. “Open Hearts, Minds, and Doors” is their motto, which is truly a bunch of bullshit in my humble opinion!