Non-Binary Small Business Owner Throws 'Marriage-a-Thon' in Texas Town
A non-binary small business owner in Tyler, Texas protested the confirmation of the newest Supreme Court justice by throwing a party for any and all who wished to get married while they still can, reports local news channel CBS19.
Raynie Castaneda, the proprietor of The Fickle Witch, offers astrology and Tarot card readings and advertises as a psychic, but it didn't take a reading of the stars to see grim portents for America's same-sex families with the rushed confirmation of Amy Barrett Coney.
So Castaneda decided to create an event that not only celebrated marriage, but also let couples go ahead and tie the knot. The Marriage-a-thon took place in the downtown area of Tyler on Sunday, Nov. 15, CBS19 said.
"I really just want to fill Tyler with joy and a mutual understanding of love and how we're all human — there's no wrong love," Castaneda told the news channel.
"More than 30 people attended the event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and five couples got married," the CBS affiliate reported. "The guest list was an open invitation to those in the LGBTQ community, allies and even passersby who wanted to celebrate."
One couple who took the opportunity to wed, Jenna Rose and Tania Castaneda (who is not related to Raynie), were clear in saying that what prompted their marriage was the thought that if they had waited, they might have lost the chance.
"We're not sure whether we can wait another year because, by that time, we may not be able to get married," Rose, who is transgender, told CBS 19, adding that in the absence of marriage the couple might not have legal authority when it comes to certain aspects of their family life, such as making medical decisions.
Rose went on to wonder, "what's gonna happen with our child if we can't get married?"
Calling the event "a peaceful, loving demonstration in response to" Barrett's confirmation, Castaneda said, "It's saying that you cannot outlaw love. You cannot repeal, revoke love. You can say all day long that you're going to, but at the end of the day, LGBTQ people will still exist, and they're still going to love, whether you approve of it or don't."
In an Instagram post, Casteneda reported that "We did have a group of people consistently riding through on bikes, circling the Square with prayer, etc," and addressed a comment to those individuals: "it's been HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of years.
"You have never been able to "pray away the gay." LOVE is so much easier."
CBS 19 recalled that Barrett's nomination and swift confirmation by the Republican-led Senate "has riled LGBTQ+ activist groups and allies across the country" due to her past writings and judicial record.
The news channel noted that Barrett "is a devout Catholic and signed a letter in 2015 addressed to Catholic bishops that included a statement about 'marriage and family founded on the indissoluble commitment of a man and a woman.' "
Barrett's confirmation gives the Supreme Court a decidedly conservative tilt. Though the Court decided the issue of marriage equality in 2015, Barrett's fellow justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have already signaled a willingness for the issue of marriage equality to be brought before the Court once again.
More recently, Alito made an address to the conservative Federalist Society in which he again blasted the Court's 2015 ruling, claiming that marriage equality is eroding "religious freedom."
Even before Barrett's confirmation, same-sex couples in the U.S. began a rush to the altar. In a similar "marriage-a-thon" in St. Louis, Pastor Tori Jameson organized "popup" weddings near the City Hall in October.