Contact: Sophia Hawes FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cell Phone: 502/821-3357
Email: [email protected]
LOVE BECOMES LEGAL IN UTAH
Two Transgender Lesbian Women Become First Such Legally Recognized Union in Utah
On October 6, 2014 Danilynn Louise Tingey and Sophia Jean Hawes-Tingey became the first legally recognized trans-lesbian couple in the state of Utah!
Danielle Sainte-Marie, a local Utah Poetress, Author, and good friend of the Tingeys, writes,
“Today, the Supreme Court decided that the heartfelt love all gay, lesbian, and transgender people feel for someone special, is something worthy of recognition, celebration, and justice.
“By striking down Amendment 3, which put a ban on same-sex marriage in Utah, I feel the Supreme Court has helped move forward our evolution as a species. Together, we are learning that love is more vital and productive to human beings, than prospering the feelings of hate or indifference.
“I see this as a bright, shining day, where certain, good-hearted people in this state no longer have to verbally fight and claw and pester legislators to simply recognize their right to express their love in a marriage vow. I have noticed how many times in this country that wars were started with much less debate than the trials and tribulations we of the LGBTI Community have had to face, simply for wanting to publicly say “I love you” and have that love be acknowledged by friends, family, and/or the state of Utah.
“I have always loved calling Utah my home. But now, it feels even more right. I hope we can all, as a widely diverse people in this beautiful, wondrous state, learn to appreciate each other, and maybe, just maybe—learn to love everyone because of their differences, and to understand that love feels so much better for the body and mind than does oppression or the stripping away of another’s rights. I always remember that when we take away the rights of another, then we are always, without exception, harming our own freedoms in some way. Thank you, and may love shine on us all.”
Sophia Hawes-Tingey married Danilynn Louise Tingey on December 30, 2013, during the 17-day window when marriage was legal, before a stay was executed. Sophia has been actively participating in the marriage rallies since, ran for the Utah Legislature in early 2014, and ran a petition in January which garnered 37,000 signatures demanding that Attorney General Sean Reyes not waste Utah Taxpayer Money fighting marriage equality. She is scheduled to be the first person sworn in to the Community Council of Midvale when they meet for the first time in the new Midvale Municipal Building on November 5 at 7 pm.
