Cedar Point officials were going to select 13 couples to get married at the park on Sept. 13 (Friday the 13th, the opening of HalloWeekends).
Not anymore, though; the contest was canceled following outcry over its regulations. The park maintains that it was following state law by opening the contest to only male and female couples.
The concern at the park had to do with growing “political undertones,” as the Sandusky Register reports. Backlash swept across various blog and reddit, prompting park officials to back off entirely. Here’s the genesis of the news, as Register writer Jessica Cuffman explains:
When Akron couple Scott Kenimond, 37, and Eric Morrison, 28, saw the original posting on the park’s blog, OnPoint, they thought they’d found their dream wedding — or at least ceremony, since they can’t legally be married in Ohio.
“He was elated. He was beside himself so happy,” Morrison said, in describing his partner’s demeanor. They’ve been engaged for a few months after meeting online, bonding over their love for roller coasters then dating for a year.
“It was one of the things that made me message him. First I thought, ‘He looks cute,’” Morrison said. “My username was WickedTwister. He knew right away I was a fan.”
“Cedar Point does not take any official stance on political issues,” a statement from the park reads. And that’s odd, because in many ways Cedar Point is tacitly endorsing one side of the issue over another.
Morrison’s departing quote to the Register illuminates that very point: “I’m disappointed they would choose to go that way rather than stand behind their LGBT community. Ultimately, they’re playing it safe. But it’s a cowardly choice.”
This article appears in Aug 14-20, 2013.
If these were “legal” weddings, I can kind of understand Cedar Point’s stance on not performing illegal (under Ohio’s law) marriages, but couldn’t they come to some sort of compromise and offer the same sort of ceremony to same-sex couples, only without the marriage license? On second thought, maybe I DON’T understand Cedar Point’s stance, since without the marriage license, it IS just a ceremony without legal ramifications that could come back on them.
The park proposed a contest to have couples who want to marry, to be married in the park.
The park is not going to marry the couples, a person is.
They can still have the contest. State on all the publicity and on the contest applications: Any two people (couple) can enter. Only heterosexuals (different-sex) couples CAN WIN.
(Legal disclaimer: couples must be of consent age, not related by family, of different sexes, and mentally competent to marry and fulfill all requirements of Ohio state marriage laws).
The park looks, here, like they do not want gay couples to even compete, ever marry, or visit the park. Their message is clear.
A civilian version of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (Don’t Enter – this contest or this park)