[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/gay-wedding-at-rose-parade-will-take-place-despite-attempted-boycott\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/gay-wedding-at-rose-parade-will-take-place-despite-attempted-boycott\/","headline":"Gay Wedding at Rose Parade Will Take Place Despite Attempted Boycott","name":"Gay Wedding at Rose Parade Will Take Place Despite Attempted Boycott","description":"By Kirsten Ott Palladino | @kirstenop Aubrey Loots and Danny LeClair, a same-sex couple, will marry at the Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2014. The...","datePublished":"2013-12-31","dateModified":"2021-06-25","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/gay-couple-rose-bowl-parade-gay-wedding.png","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/gay-couple-rose-bowl-parade-gay-wedding.png","height":200,"width":300},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/gay-wedding-at-rose-parade-will-take-place-despite-attempted-boycott\/","about":["Marriage Equality News"],"wordCount":612,"articleBody":"By Kirsten Ott Palladino | @kirstenopAubrey Loots and Danny LeClair, a same-sex couple, will marry at the Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2014. The historic wedding will take place on the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s float. It is the first gay wedding to be held during the Rose Parade, which has more than 68 million viewers annually.LeClair, 45, and Loots, 42, are a\u00a0Los Angeles couple who have been dating for 10 years. The ceremony will promote AHF\u2019s \u201cLove is the Best Protection\u201d campaign, which argues that monogamous gay marriage would result in a decline in the incidence of HIV\/AIDS.Most people will likely be thrilled for the couple, but not\u00a0Karen L. Grube, a San Diego-based Tea Party activist who’s calling for a boycott of the Rose Parade and its sponsors. Her take: \u201cFor that couple, it\u2019s a dream come true. Yes, but not for the 30 states that they\u2019re throwing this to and not for the people who voted against it,\u201d Grube said in an interview with ABC 10 News. Grube\u2019s reference is to the 32 states that still don\u2019t permit same-sex marriages, which are legal in California.Grube has created a Facebook page to promote the boycott which has about attracted 6,245 likes as of press time. Gag.\u00a0One of her latest rants on the page [inaccurate spellings are hers]:“The traditional Tournament of Roses parade may be the victim of the most recent attack of political correctness. Two gay hairdressers have won a lottery to have their wedding on a float during the 2014 Rose Parade. The theme of this years parade is “Dreams Come True.” In this case it may be more like a nightmare for the sponsors of the parade and the organizers. If the same folks who have supported Phil Roberson’s biblical stand on marriage against A&E decide they’ll spend New Year’s morning at sunrise services instead of watching the parade, and people avoid going to the parade, that could spell the end of this tradition. They’ve already destroyed the Boy Scouts.”The float, titled \u201cLiving the Dream: Love Is the Best Protection,\u201d was created to celebrate victories in 2013 for the same-sex marriage movement, including Supreme Court decisions upholding the repeal of California’s Proposition 8 and striking down a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act.Foundation spokesman Ged Kenslea said the organization supports legally sanctioning same-sex marriage because it encourages more stable relationships as well as behavior that will prevent the spread of HIV.\u201cWe believe that marriage saves lives,\u201d he said.Rose Parade organizers are defending the planned wedding.\u00a0In a statement, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Assn. said it is \u201cpleased\u201d to have the foundation participate in this year\u2019s event.\u00a0\u201cIt is the organization\u2019s third entry in three years tied to their mission of delivering medical services and advocacy in fighting AIDS worldwide,\u201d the statement says.\u00a0The foundation\u2019s float will be one of the last in Wednesday’s parade.The LeClair-Loots wedding will take place about 9:30 a.m.\u00a0Leclair said he can\u2019t wait to be \u201clegally married to the person I\u2019ve committed my life to and been with for the past 12 years.\u201dThe couple is taking the high road when it comes to critics.\u00a0\u201cAs far as Karen is concerned, or any of those detractors is concerned, I actually personally feel that I\u2019m grateful that they\u2019re willing to speak out,\u201d LeClair told The Associated Press on Monday, as his fiance spoke up in agreement. \u201cIt\u2019s only in hearing what others have to say that we are able to engage in a conversation, that we are able to find common ground.\u201d"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Gay Wedding at Rose Parade Will Take Place Despite Attempted Boycott","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/gay-wedding-at-rose-parade-will-take-place-despite-attempted-boycott\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]