10/30/2013

Art Attack – Our Big Fat Gay Zombie Wedding
John Rankine
10/30/2013

It should be a fun and interesting weekend as gays and the walking dead take over the streets of Eureka. Armageddon? Hardly, though to some it might appear that way.

Our Big Fat Gay Wedding is a Diversity Weekend fundraiser to benefit the legal case seeking to bring Marriage Equality to Arkansas. Since the Supreme Court gutted the Defense of Marriage Act in June, same-sex couples legally married in states where it is permitted now possess all the legal rights and responsibilities of their heterosexual counterparts. Imagine.

Still, 35 states (Arkansas included) have constitutional bans on gay marriage. Following the DOMA ruling, the Obama administration granted some federal rights to married gay couples no matter where they live, setting in place a completely impossible, unworkable and unconstitutional situation where people are married, or not, depending on what state they’re in.

Proceeds from this weekend’s wedding events will help offset legal fees in the suit (full disclosure: I’m among the plaintiffs) to have Arkansas’ marriage ban found unconstitutional. Even though 75 percent of Arkansas voters approved a Constitutional amendment in 2004, we are arguing that constitutional amendments must be constitutional.

It’s just a matter of time before we see marriage equality in Arkansas, but it’s got to go through the courts and that costs money. That’s where Our Big Fat Gay Wedding comes in – a fun, political event to raise cash and awareness.

Several OBFGW fundraising events are planned: rehearsal dinner, wedding brunch, bachelor/bachelorette party, wedding reception, a march up Spring St., and more. Schedules can be found at restaurants, retail stores and lodgings around town or on the web at gayeurekasprings.com.  A $5 dollar raffle ticket could land you a wedding package that includes lodging, restaurants, massages, zip-lines and a whole other bunch of goodies.

Last year’s Zombie Crawl was amazing, even for we who don’t quite get zombies. A few hundred locals and tourists in their gory best, staggering down Spring St., never breaking character; it was a highly successful first time event. Expectations are high for Zombie Crawl 2.

Come out and support Marriage Equality, and not only the LGBT community. It would be nice to see our straight friends and allies participating – after all we’ve been coming to your weddings for years.

Gay Wedding Procession up Spring St. from Basin Park to The Space starting at 3 p.m. Saturday; Zombie Crawl down Spring St. from the library to the AUD starting at 6 p.m. – only in Eureka Springs.