Gay marriage rally delayed to accommodate straight marriage ceremony

The time of a rally planned for this Saturday to protest the Lapeer County, Mich., board of commissioners' support for a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage is being changed because of a nongay marriage ceremony. Gay rights groups obtained a permit last week for a 1 p.m.-4 p.m. rally at the county courthouse to protest a resolution requesting a statewide vote on the issue, The Flint Journal reports. But it turns out that a couple had plans to get married at 4 p.m. at the courthouse. When the engaged couple learned of the protest, they called rally organizers and asked for help. Although organizers Gale Crooks and Joe DeNeen were not obligated to move the rally, since they had a permit, they decided to be flexible. "We were honored to move the rally to accommodate the couple," Crooks said. A 1996 Michigan law defines marriage as "inherently a unique relationship between a man and a woman" and makes same-sex marriages invalid in the state. But some have called for a state constitutional amendment on the issue.