No Place in the Chapels of the Nation: How One Toronto Pastor Used An Ancient Tradition to Legalize Gay Marriage in Canada

On January 14th, 2001, 25 years ago today, two couples got married and made history. They were both gay. There had been other gay marriages before, but these were different. These were legal, before gay marriage was officially recognized. They sparked a media sensation that would lead to the legalization of gay marriage across Canada and legal rights internationally. Through creative legal loopholes and an unwillingness to backdown from a fight, the gay community achieved something great.
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Despite this being about two marriages, this is not a story about love. Often, gay marriage is celebrated as “love wins” or some other celebration of affection. But this is not that. This is a history of activists finding ways to challenge the status quo and not being satisfied with partial victories. It is about the queer community not waiting for a benevolent government to give them their rights but instead forcing their hand. These two marriages would have international ramifications.

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