Couple's campaign changes newspaper's same-sex announcements policy
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
A dispute between a lesbian couple in Minneapolis' and an Omaha newspaper became fodder for a heated debate in the blogosphere.
Kristy Wilke and Jessica Kitzman, both 26, planned a marriage ceremony in Hackensack, Minn. next August. When Wilke's parents tried to take out an announcement in their hometown paper, the Omaha World Herald, the Nebraska paper denied their request.
Wilke's father created a Facebook page asking supporters to contact the publisher. Kristy Wilke says she was amazed by the results.
"There was enough support behind this to draw the paper's attention to have them make a response and have the paper make a partial change in its policy in just four days," Wilke said. "It's just blown me away."
The paper has agreed to publish announcements about legal marriages. Wilke and Kitzman also plan to marry in Iowa, where gay marriage became legal after a Supreme Court ruling in 2009.
The Star Tribune began running same-sex announcements in 1991.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.