We Keep Marchin' On

I'm so proud to be from Washington County today. This last week of late night sign-painting, nervous energy wondering if ANYONE would show up to march with us, pacing back and forth in anticipation for the Moosabec float to arrive in Machias (all the way from Eastport!)... well, it turned out to all be worth it - and then some.

These people who came out to march with us in Jonesport, Eastport and Machias are some of the bravest folks I know. Marching down the street in your hometown, when you know that only 35% of folks on the sidelines are on your side, well - it's downright scary. On Saturday, I drove from Bangor to Jonesport to march in the first parade. I'll admit, I was nervous. Here I was, going to Jonesport, Maine to march down the street with a rainbow flag as a cape. *GULP* But, you know what? I arrived and was greeted with a troupe of smiling, waving, happy, supportive people - people that had come out to march with us. And, one of the most beautiful (and high-tech!) floats -- streaming THIS:



Here they are.. the Carver clan, who were the brains (& muscles) behind the Moosabec float:

And, they created THIS:

Pictures don't really do it justice. If you were one of the lucky few hundred people that were standing on the side of the road for a 4th of July parade Downeast, you got to see it first hand. Reactions from the crowd were mixed, but there was overwhelming support wherever we marched, and also - a few tears. (go back and watch that video if you haven't... I'm serious... push the play button and keep reading, and try not to cry... I dare you)

At the same time the Carvers were creating their masterpiece in Jonesport, we were working on a little project of our own here in Machias...

My sister Kelsey, proudly representing with flags in hand, and my absolutely wonderful grandparents.

So, we marched together in Jonesport. Then, a few days later we marched together in Eastport AND Machias (on the same day... frantically ripping down the Moosabec float in Eastport in the rain, blasting a hour down the road to Machias and putting it all back together in 20 minutes). Our families were there to march with us. Our friends came to march with us. People joined us from the sidelines to march with us.

We smiled, waved, and handed out rainbow flags and threw candy, and we watched to see what the spectators would do. (nervously, at first...) And, you know what they did? Some people stood up and clapped for us, and some people jumped up and hollered words of encouragement and support, and some people smiled -- big, toothy, contagious smiles... and, some people cried. I heard things like, 'It's about TIME!', and 'Thank you', and... 'Good for you'... there was overwhelming support wherever we went. I mean, honestly - who could resist us? We're just... so CUTE, and HAPPY!

(And yeah, at every parade we saw people stare at us disapprovingly, and at every parade there were some bad comments yelled from the sidelines, but -- you know what? Those folks were the minority, and we just kept on smiling, and people yelled and clapped and cheered to drown them out -- and, we just kept marchin' on...)

My cheeks have never hurt so much from so much smiling. I'm serious. STILL. My cheeks STILL hurt. (and, I'm still smiling...)

Here's a ton of pictures (a mix of all three parades) to try to give you a glimpse:

So, there's a sprinkling of pictures (mostly taken by other folks, like Suzanne Carver) from the parades. I wish everyone, at least once in their lifetime gets to experience the joy that comes with marching down the road to support a cause they passionately believe in, because it's one of the best feelings in the world. And, if it can be a cause that is so emotionally charged as equal rights, all the better. My 'family' grew ten-fold this past week, and I'll never, ever forget each and every person who walked beside us, or stood up from the sidewalk to clap as we were marching by. Thank you.

We appreciate your love, kindness & support. Please don't be silent on this issue. Please have conversations with your friends and neighbors about equal marriage - about what it means to our families and the people we love. (if any of them would like to join in on a family meal to get to know us better, our door is always open...)

We need your help to ensure that marriage passes in November in the state of Maine. It's time. It's long past time.