Orange County couples rejoice in freedom to marry

Joni Madison laid her head on partner Gina Kilpatrick’s shoulder, proudly showing off the North Carolina marriage license they had waited so long to get.

Madison, the chief operating officer for the McKinney advertising agency, and Kilpatrick, an employee of RTI International in Research Triangle Park, have been together for nearly 20 years. Both volunteer with the Human Rights Campaign, and Madison is co-chairwoman of the organization’s board of directors.

They joined Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle and her partner, Alicia Stemper, plus several other couples receiving marriage licenses Monday at the Orange County Register of Deeds office in Hillsborough. The licenses aren’t official until signed by an ordained minister or a county magistrate.

Register of Deeds Deborah Brooks said she thought the numbers might be low because of people thinking they were closed for Columbus Day. A judge’s order lifting the ban on same-sex marriage was announced after the Orange County office closed Friday.

About a dozen people waiting for the Register of Deeds office to open shared stories and took group photos to mark the momentous occasion. Chapel Hill Town Council member Lee Storrow, who is gay, was there to show support.

He looked all day Friday for Mr. Right, Storrow said, but hasn’t found him yet.

Madison and Kilpatrick were second in line, but they were the eighth couple to get a license. Madison dropped a letter from her name years ago, so it no longer matches her original Social Security record.

After racing home to return with her Social Security card, they set about canceling their reservations in Washington, D.C., where they had plans to marry Friday. Madison said they will tie the knot Saturday instead, at home in Hillsborough.

The Rev. Jimmy Creech is officiating, making the ceremony – on their 20th anniversary – even more special, she said. Creech, a Methodist minister from Goldsboro, was defrocked in 1999 for performing same-sex marriages.

“He went and got all official for us, so we’re really looking forward to it,” Madison said. “It was so sweet. It was overwhelming.”

Raleigh residents Hallie Sessoms and Griffin Kennedy wanted their marriage to be a part of a historic moment. The Hillsborough native will marry her fiance next weekend. They were filling out papers Friday when the news broke.

“We just sat there, and we both were like, this is the most amazing moment. We can tell our kids and our families about this,” she said. “It’s an honor.”

‘So many people ...’

Some Orange County residents sought licenses Monday in Durham County. Jon Cochran, 30, of Chapel Hill, clasped his hands in front of his face after he wed partner Ben Bolling, 32, and started to cry.

The couple held a fundraiser in their home two years ago to fight Amendment One, which added a ban on same-sex marriage to the state constitution.

“It was sad then,” he said. “It was not unexpected, but it felt like a step back.”

“So many people have fought hard,” Bolling said, “including us.”

Jen Jones, communications director for advocacy group Equality NC, visited Orange and Durham counties Monday to make sure things went smoothly and “to celebrate the moment.” She sported a therapeutic boot on one leg from literally “running across the state trying to educate people,” she said.

“This is a time where we’re going to have to go back home and do a lot of cultural work, so we feel safe in our workplaces and our schools. Obviously, public opinion is changing,” she said. “We found love in a hopeless place; (pop singer) Rihanna was right.”

Some couples getting licenses Monday, including Lavelle and Stemper, said they married years before in private ceremonies or in states where same-sex marriage was legal. Hillsborough resident Terry Schneider stopped by to let couples know the Rev. Patty Hanneman, of Hillsborough’s Unitarian Universalist Congregation at 1710 Old N.C. 10, would provide free weddings through Wednesday.

Avery Stemper, 16, wore a rainbow tie for the event and said he was excited to be part of his moms’ journey. Officially, it was their third time. The couple held a small ceremony at home more than 10 years ago and later registered as domestic partners, Alicia Stemper said. They plan to restate their vows in a public celebration at 5 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Carrboro Town Commons, Lavelle said.

“It feels fabulous,” she said. “I hate we had to wait, but I’m glad we could do it.”

The crowd cheered and clapped as each couple emerged from the license office. Calls of congratulations and the flash of cameras followed them into the lobby.

Stemper announced: “We had to say this: We further make oath that there is no legal impediment to our marriage.”

Staff writer Mark Schultz contributed to this story.

This story was originally published October 13, 2014 at 10:23 PM with the headline "Orange County couples rejoice in freedom to marry."