ME4PA Candlelight Vigil for Equality

from Marriage Equality for PA

About 20 people braved the cold to take part in a vigil for Marriage Equality on March 26 Perry Square in Erie. Similar actions took place around the state. (Ed. Note: Marriage Equality for PA became Pennsylvania Equality Project in late 2014.)

The vigil took place in front of the Federal Courthouse. The date was chosen to mark the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision striking down DOMA.

Speakers included Rev Steve Aschmann of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie. Tiffany Titus, who, with her wife Wendy, drove to Montgomery County to be legally wed when that county was issuing marriage licenses. Kathy Czarnecki-Smith, who went to the Erie County marriage bureau in February with her wife Tina and attempted to get a Pennsylvania marriage license. The couple has a marriage certificate from New York state, but were not able to get the paperwork from Pennsylvania. ME4PA co-founders Josh Szczesny and David Moore both spoke. David gave Mike Mahler an award on behalf of ME4PA recognizing Mike's work in support of Marriage Equality