January 1

Not all of Maine's same-sex couples rushing to get married

Most of them seem to be doing what many heterosexual couples would: planning a wedding.

By Eric Russell erussell@pressherald.com
Staff Writer

(Continued from page 1)

click image to enlarge

Sarah Dowling, left, and Linda Wolfe plan to have a legal wedding July 27.

2012 Press Herald file photo/John Ewing

"There weren't many couples I knew who went and got married right away," Uhlenhake said. "Mainers are practical. They want a little time to plan."

Dowling, too, said she and Wolfe will have a few months to plan their wedding, but they don't expect it to be an extravagant affair, just a celebration and an affirmation of their relationship.

She said some things have changed since their not legal wedding. She and her partner have adopted a daughter, Maya Dowling-Wolfe, who is 11. She'll get to be at the wedding this summer. The women also will be able to get married at their own church. In 1997, their Episcopal minister would not let the couple hold their not-legal wedding at the church.

By the time their legal wedding rolls around, there could be more changes. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to debate the federal Defense of Marriage Act sometime in June. That law defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman and means that married same-sex couples have rights in their home state but not federal rights.

If the court rules that DOMA is unconstitutional, any ambiguity could be eliminated.

"That would be nice," Dowling said.

Staff Writer Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:

erussell@pressherald.com

Twitter: @PPHEricRussell

 

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