Make History: Uprising’s Same-Sex Marriage Challenge
KPFK PACIFICA RADIO BROADCASTS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE JUNE 20, 2008
Listen to this show now: Play
| Subscribe to this show's podcast now - |  |
KPFK Pacifica Radio 90.7FM Los Angelesl made history with the first national Pacifica Network radio broadcast in Southern California of a Same-Sex marriage. The live Same-Sex wedding broadcast happened at 8am on Friday, June 20 during KPFK’s morning drive time public affairs show Uprising. In collaboration with the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, KPFK will broadcast from the Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 North McCadden Place in West Hollywood.
The Monday after the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on same-sex marriage in this state, Uprising covered the story and issued an invitation for a Same-Sex couple to make their wedding vows live on the air. Ms. Linda Martinez and her partner Ms. Regina Rodriguez answered Uprising’s call and have agreed to wed on the air. The Walnut, California based couple have been together for 8 years, and engaged for 7 years. Next year, this 3rd generation Mexican American couple plans on starting a family. The right to marry one another is a dream they have been waiting to realize. Martinez and Rodriguez are excited about making history on KPFK’s airwaves. Together with their supportive families, they intend on formalizing their commitment to one another on live radio as a way to underscore the hard-won victory of the LGBT marriage equality movement.
The response to KPFK’s outreach to celebrate the couple’s marriage has generated interest and generosity. Frederick Fulmer and his partner James Berg, owners of Joshua Tree Highlands Houses have generously donated a four-night honeymoon stay in one of their charming houses on five acres nestled in the high desert with panoramic mountain views at 3000 foot elevation, adjacent to the Joshua Tree National Park, 130 miles from Los Angeles (www.joshuatreehighlandhouse.com). “We are honored to be a part of this historic wedding event being broadcast on KPFK," said Fulmer. "We embrace the couple and their families and extend our best wishes to them in celebration of the love and courage their union reflects."
Talk About It Jewelry has donated the wedding rings from a new version of their jewelry line, crafted from Titanium, 7 millimeters each in size, from the Band of Infinity brand. The rings are sequentially numbered to reflect and represent the LGBT population of individuals as well as supportive family members who purchase the rings as a commitment to one another and to the community.
KPFK intends to showcase the common humanity of the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) community in its quest for civil rights and equality. The broadcast is a political statement, symbolic of the progress and the political change that the California Supreme Court ruling heralds nationwide.
“KPFK Pacifica Radio stands side by side with Ms. Martinez and Ms. Rodriguez as the electronic witness to this historic and happy moment in their lives, “ said Armando Gudino, KPFK Program Director. “With this broadcast KPFK further realizes its mission as a public radio station dedicated to social justice for all people.”
