Chattanooga Wedding Officiant Hoping Pending Supreme Court Decision Will Allow Same-Sex Couples to Marry in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama
With the pending decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to potentially allow same-sex marriage nationwide, a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based minister advocates for the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry, and hopes to be be able to offer his wedding officiant services to the Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama communities he serves.
Chattanooga, TN, June 01, 2015 --(PR.com)-- With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to issue a potential landmark ruling this summer striking down state bans on same-sex marriage, Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Chattanooga Wedding Officiants and the LGBT community in the three states he serves--Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama--anxiously await the decision.
Thus far, gay and lesbian couples are able to marry in 37 states and the District of Columbia, while Tennessee and Georgia remain two states where same-sex unions are still not recognized. And while a federal judge struck down Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriage earlier this year, an order from the Alabama Supreme Court soon after the decision prevented the state’s county Probate Court judges from issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples, thus leaving the situation there in limbo pending the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.
While a U.S. Supreme Court decision in favor of same-sex marriage is far from certain, many legal scholars believe it to be more likely than not that this will be the outcome of the case. If such is the case, the next question for many of these couples in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama seeking to avail themselves of their newly bestowed right will be, “Who will we get to marry us?” This is where Chattanooga Wedding Officiants could present a viable solution for them.
The technical term for the person who performs the ceremony solemnizing a marriage is “officiant,” and laws vary by state as to who may legally perform this function. Reverend James Ramsey, the owner of Chattanooga Wedding Officiants, is an ordained Interfaith Minister who can legally solemnize marriages in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. Since beginning his business in 2013, Reverend Ramsey has actively supported the LGBT community, officiating non-legally-binding same-sex commitment ceremonies and participating in community marriage equality events (and since the beginning of legal gay marriage in Alabama offering his wedding officiant services to same-sex couples in that state).
Reverend Ramsey says he was very disappointed at not being able to solemnize his first same-sex marriage before the Alabama Supreme Court issued its order, but is optimistic about the prospects of being able to do so soon, given a thumbs-up from the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming months. He believes that, similar to other social equality battles of the past, the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry is inevitable, although it seems clear that significant pockets of resistance to the idea may be with us for some time to come.
Reverend Ramsey says he is hopeful that all his fellow clergypersons of every faith in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama will move quickly to embrace the right of same-sex couples to marry, as well as actively work to further advance the rights and dignity of LGBT people, in general. Reverend Ramsey says he will remain committed to advocating for those rights, regardless of the outcome of the pending U.S. Supreme Court decision, in addition to offering to serve as a cultural liaison on these issues within the Tennessee Valley community.
Reverend Ramsey's website is www.ChattanoogaWeddingOfficiants.com. He welcomes inquiries from same-sex couples in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama hoping to get married this year in the wake of a favorable U.S. Supreme Court decision, and is available for interviews by the media. Reverend Ramsey may be reached at (423) 475-3382 or by email at Rev.Ramsey@ChattanoogaWeddingOfficiants.com.
Thus far, gay and lesbian couples are able to marry in 37 states and the District of Columbia, while Tennessee and Georgia remain two states where same-sex unions are still not recognized. And while a federal judge struck down Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriage earlier this year, an order from the Alabama Supreme Court soon after the decision prevented the state’s county Probate Court judges from issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples, thus leaving the situation there in limbo pending the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.
While a U.S. Supreme Court decision in favor of same-sex marriage is far from certain, many legal scholars believe it to be more likely than not that this will be the outcome of the case. If such is the case, the next question for many of these couples in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama seeking to avail themselves of their newly bestowed right will be, “Who will we get to marry us?” This is where Chattanooga Wedding Officiants could present a viable solution for them.
The technical term for the person who performs the ceremony solemnizing a marriage is “officiant,” and laws vary by state as to who may legally perform this function. Reverend James Ramsey, the owner of Chattanooga Wedding Officiants, is an ordained Interfaith Minister who can legally solemnize marriages in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. Since beginning his business in 2013, Reverend Ramsey has actively supported the LGBT community, officiating non-legally-binding same-sex commitment ceremonies and participating in community marriage equality events (and since the beginning of legal gay marriage in Alabama offering his wedding officiant services to same-sex couples in that state).
Reverend Ramsey says he was very disappointed at not being able to solemnize his first same-sex marriage before the Alabama Supreme Court issued its order, but is optimistic about the prospects of being able to do so soon, given a thumbs-up from the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming months. He believes that, similar to other social equality battles of the past, the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry is inevitable, although it seems clear that significant pockets of resistance to the idea may be with us for some time to come.
Reverend Ramsey says he is hopeful that all his fellow clergypersons of every faith in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama will move quickly to embrace the right of same-sex couples to marry, as well as actively work to further advance the rights and dignity of LGBT people, in general. Reverend Ramsey says he will remain committed to advocating for those rights, regardless of the outcome of the pending U.S. Supreme Court decision, in addition to offering to serve as a cultural liaison on these issues within the Tennessee Valley community.
Reverend Ramsey's website is www.ChattanoogaWeddingOfficiants.com. He welcomes inquiries from same-sex couples in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama hoping to get married this year in the wake of a favorable U.S. Supreme Court decision, and is available for interviews by the media. Reverend Ramsey may be reached at (423) 475-3382 or by email at Rev.Ramsey@ChattanoogaWeddingOfficiants.com.
Contact
Chattanooga Wedding Officiants
Rev. James Ramsey
(423) 475-3382
www.chattanoogaweddingofficiants.com
Rev. James Ramsey
(423) 475-3382
www.chattanoogaweddingofficiants.com
Contact
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