The Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) will host a marriage equality rally on August 31st at First Congregational Church from 7 to 9 p.m. as a response to the state legislature’s declaration of Traditional Marriage Day.
“Our state legislature declared Traditional Marriage Day for August 31st, but it’s a rather unique idea to us because, since we have a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Tennessee, every day in the state is Traditional Marriage Day,” said Skip Ledbetter, chair for TEP’s Memphis chapter.
“We wanted to do something as an alternative where we could recognize couples who have been together here for years but the state doesn’t view them as traditional couples. We want to celebrate their relationships and raise awareness of the hurdles they’ve faced in those relationships,” Ledbetter said.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature attorneys who will offer advice to couples on what limited protections they’re afforded without being married, such as medical power-of-attorney and the creation of wills and estates. They’ll also have a roundtable discussion on voting rights and upcoming elections in Tennessee.
