Straight allies of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community rock in so many ways. Jared and Jean Slater, a husband-and-wife photography team who runs J and J Photography based in Manhattan, have just launched a new program for gay weddings. The “Inequality in Marriage” discount is offered to all same-sex couples wishing to wed, celebrate a commitment ceremony or a civil union. The discount is a 44 percent discount, which represents the 44 states where marriage-equality does not exist. “As more states recognize the rights of same-sex couples to marry, we’ll be reducing the discount to continue reflecting the number of states where same-sex marriage remains illegal,” says Jared Slater. “We will ask gay couples to pay the same rates as straight couples when they are given the same rights.” He continues by saying, “While we know it doesn’t make economic sense for us to offer such an unusually large discount, we are willing to reduce our income to disprove the state legislature’s erroneous perception that straight New Yorkers don’t care about this issue.”
Pictured: Angela Desoto and Lilieth McAlpin by J and J Photography