Newspaper Will Allow Legal Gay Wedding Announcements

Omaha World Herald Denies GBLT Equal Rights x390 | advocate.com

A newspaper publisher in Omaha has announced a policy change that will allow gay and lesbian couples to share the news about their weddings — as long as they're legally recognized as weddings.

The change in the Omaha World-Herald policy comes after parents Jeff and Heidi Wilke attempted to submit a wedding announcement for their daughter Kristin Wilke and her new wife, Jessica Kitzman. The couple married August 20 in Minnesota, and the Wilkes wanted an announcement of their daughter's wedding included in a preceding issue of the newspaper. However, publisher Terry Kroeger told the Wilkes that same-sex couples are not allowed to buy announcements in the World-Herald.

After the rejection, Kitzman and Wilke launched a Facebook group to bring the issue to light. They say they've learned about more couples who were rejected by the newspaper's celebrations section because they are gay or lesbian.

"Moving forward, please understand that this effort is for ALL same-gender couples seeking this right — not just our family," the couple wrote on the Facebook profile for "Omaha World Herald Denies GLBT Equal Rights."

According to Media Matters, the newspaper has amended its policy as of Monday and will print announcements for “legal weddings, engagements for legal weddings or anniversaries of a legal marriage.”

Kroger said that while some will criticize the paper for either going too far or not far enough, "our sense is that this change will provide for a public 'celebration' of important milestones in the lives of people who take the significant steps toward legally sanctioned marriage." He said the World-Herald would publish announcements only for weddings that take place in one of the jurisdictions that legally recognizes same-sex marriage: Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C.

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Reader Comments

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Name: Jordy
Date posted: 8/31/2010 6:08:28 PM
Hometown: Omaha, NE

Comment:
Shame to see that even here, the comments have so quickly devolved into hatred and vitriol. If you read this interview with Kristy, you will see that she is a person centered around love and non-violence: http://omaha.net/articles/omaha-world-herald-gay-marriage-annoucements Both her and Jessica have been very strong throughout this process, as that Facebook group keeps growing, hopefully they can continue to affect change.
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Name: Carl
Date posted: 8/31/2010 3:53:51 PM
Hometown: Omaha

Comment:
@Liam Well, they have the Patriot Guard Riders to protect military funerals from the WBC, including those who kept vigil at the funeral of SSgt. Michael A. Bock in Omaha this past week. Maybe there should be a similar group for same-sex weddings. So far, it hasn't been an issue.
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Name: Liam
Date posted: 8/31/2010 9:48:29 AM
Hometown: Portland

Comment:
My only worry about announcing a GLBT wedding in the newspaper is whether insane jerks like the Westboro Church would try and crash the wedding.
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Name: pepa
Date posted: 8/31/2010 3:15:07 AM
Hometown: gayrea51.blogspot.com

Comment:
@ Bob "Bill is a little weak faggot." I don't know how much further you want to go and how much more you want to be dragged through the mud. I have already castrated you on these boards. You have become our eunuch and our bitch all thanks to you. Because at least Bill knows when to stop... You act like the woman going back to see her rapist for another round. @ Bill I don't think it is wise to report this eunuch to the webmaster. He obviously needs to be castrated some more all the way down to the pelvic bone: http://gayrea51.blogspot.com/2010/08/meet-bob-hypocrite-of-week-and.html
Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Tricia C.
Date posted: 8/31/2010 1:06:52 AM
Hometown: Omaha, NE

Comment:
Thanks Bill, it's cool.
Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Tricia C.
Date posted: 8/31/2010 1:06:42 AM
Hometown: Omaha, NE

Comment:
Thanks Bill, it's cool.
Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Bob
Date posted: 8/31/2010 1:02:46 AM
Hometown: HB

Comment:
I wear blue ones, thank you very much.
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Name: Bill
Date posted: 8/31/2010 12:56:06 AM
Hometown: Arlington

Comment:
@Tricia C - Don't worry about Bob. It's past his bedtime and him mom made him go to bed. He's sleeping in his favorite PJs with the feet sown in them! The one's with tigers on them!
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Name: Tricia C.
Date posted: 8/31/2010 12:38:40 AM
Hometown: Omaha, NE

Comment:
Bob, if you have to resort to name-calling and make no valid argument, you really are quite demonstrably weak....I wasn't referring to Kristin Wilke and Jessica Kitzman. Do you think they're the only same-sex couple to be turned down by the OWH? The couple I was referring to are named Marc Volenec and Peter Hamel. Here is a link to their story: http[colonslashslash]nebraska[dot]statepaper[dot]com /vnews/display.v/ART/2009/01/21/49775ce9b9ab6 .......(correction: upon pulling up the link again, I see Hamel is an 18-year employee of the OWH as of 2009)
Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Bill
Date posted: 8/31/2010 12:30:35 AM
Hometown: Arlington

Comment:
@Tricia C. - Thank you for your helpful comments. I get it now. BTW, Bob is a pig.

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