#PASSNYS4189: Making Space for Civil Celebrants
in Marriage Law
by Rev. Elizabeth
Phaire, Master Life-Cycle Celebrant
As we enter the autumn season, we reflect
with gratitude on a very productive year of advocacy for Civil Celebrant Bill,
NYS#4189. This Bill will incorporate Civil Celebrants who meet certain
education requirements, to the New York State marriage law, granting us legal
authority to officiate weddings. With 4,000 CF&I Celebrants worldwide and
63 who are also Ministers in New York State officiating weddings, we generate
nearly $3,500,000 in revenue for the State; this law would be a boon for NY. It
would also enable us to more efficiently serve the State’s increasingly diverse
population.
The Bill was introduced in Albany last
year, inspired by New Jersey Life-Cycle Celebrant colleagues who achieved the
passage of this as an economics bill into NJ law in 2014. The first to break
ground, it took them eight years of hard work, following in their footsteps
we’ve made great progress in our second year.
Leading our cause is Rev. Ronald Hunt, NY
Lobbying Director. With his long-time experience and knowledge of the lobbying
process, we are fortunate to have him at the helm navigating this journey. Some
of
us count “I’m Just a Bill” from Schoolhouse
Rock as primary education on the subject, and so we are
grateful for Ron’s guidance every step of
the way.
Generous help came from Charlotte Eulette,
CF&I International Director. She submitted a memorandum
of support to the Senate on our behalf and
offered valuable advice in addition to her motivational emails.
We were well represented on Facebook and
Twitter by the efforts of Marcia Almeida, CF& I Social Media Director,
and Celebrant Christopher Shelley who
created the hashtag “#PASSNYS4189”.
This year began with the uplifting news
that Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner and Senator Tony Avella referred our
bills to the Judiciary Committees in the
Senate and Assembly for hearings, taking us one step further than last
year.
Celebrants Roberta Koepfer, Kim Kirkley and
others took trips to Albany or local offices; and either accompanied
by Ron or alone, met with their respective
Senators, Assemblywomen and Assemblymen. Patricia Bunnelle always showed up on
short notice when Ron needed her assistance. In these meetings strong
connections were made for
our cause. Emails were also sent by NY
Celebrants to lawmakers in each district, introducing them to the bill. There
was a wide range of support from our
representatives, including Sen. Adrian Espaillat and Sen. George Latimer.
On
January 29th a meeting was held with Senator Avella, his Chief Legislative
Staff Rebecca A. Shehan, and Legislative Aide Marissa Meredyth. It was hosted
in Celebrant Bettina Yiannakorou’s beautiful home. Several Celebrants on our
team attended and spoke on how our work benefits us and our community,
contributes to the economy, and gives New Yorkers and visitors an opportunity
to have a personal and meaningful wedding ceremony. Speakers included: Sacha Jones, Kim Kirkley, Christopher Shelley,
and Bettina Yiannakorou, Jane Hughes Gignoux, and Gerry Fierst. Additional
attendees were: Alice Soloway, Lasonta Diamond,
Larissa Martell, Marcia Almeida, Danielle Kirsner Giannone, and Funeral
Director and Celebrant Joseph Kresek.
Energized by the stories shared at the
meeting, Senator Avella requested that the Bill be placed on a Judiciary
Committee agenda as soon as possible. Upon the Senator’s advice, we wrote
letters followed-up with phone calls
to Senator Bonacic, Honorable John
Flanagan, and Honorable Carl Heastie, urging their support of the bill and to
schedule a hearing. The petition that I created on Change.org garnered 254
signatures from supporters across the U.S. and overseas. Through all of these
efforts, we were told that we have the most successful grassroots campaign that
New York State has seen in years.
In early June the
Senate continued to push our bill as a priority. Although the Governor’s office
was exclusively prioritizing their own bills, they were open to considering
ours. The Assembly overwhelmingly passed their version of the bill, NYSA8205,
out of the Committee on June 2nd. Senator Avella made every effort to move our
bill forward with the Committee; however in the end we were blocked by one
Senator.
It is very disappointing that one person
can subvert the work of so many. However we gained significant momentum this
year and are bolstered by all of the support that we received. Moving forward,
Rev. Ronald Hunt offers these words of encouragement. “As with many things in
life, we struggle to reach a tipping point where everyone can see and accept
that our cause is just. We’re extremely close in getting the bill passed. If
you haven’t participated, know that you are still needed. If you have
participated, love and thanks to you.”
Discussions with Senators will continue in
December of this year when the new session begins, and we’ll devise a new
strategy. To receive notifications of how you can help with the bill, please
contact Ron at: 1CFIPAC@gmail.com. Please also sign our Change.org petition and
share it with others. Whether you live in NY, or in another state or country,
your signature will make a difference:
With election season upon us, it’s vitally
important to support and vote for those representatives who will be allies in
our mission. So please be sure to research your local candidates, volunteer
where you can, and vote.
Deepest thanks to each of you who
contributed by writing letters, emails, making phone calls, posting on social
media, gathering signatures and cheering us on. We’ll continue paving the way
together, for ours and future generations to enjoy the legal right to a
personalized ceremony by a Civil Celebrant. In the words of President Barack
Obama: “Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would
do it. But it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with
plenty of failure along the way. The real test isn’t whether you avoid this
failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into
inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.”
Raising a glass, here’s to perseverance and
making NYS4189 a law in 2017!
About The Author:
Elizabeth Phaire is a Master Life-Cycle Celebrant ® and
Interfaith Minister. She officiates personalized ceremonies for Weddings, Baby
Blessings, Celebrations
of Life, and other rites of passage. A faculty member
of the Celebrant Foundation and Institute, she holds five certifications from
the school. Her background and holistic lifestyle includes energy healing
practices, herbalism, nutrition, meditation, music, writing, and
performance poetry. She draws from these sources to help individuals, families
and communities to honor their transitions with authenticity
and creativity. You
can reach her through: www.elizabethphaire.com and on facebook.com.© 2016 Elizabeth Phaire
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