Lesbian Grandmas in Search of Marriage Equality Visit Salt Lake City : Utah IMC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --

Tired of being treated like second class citizens in their own country, Carrie and Elisia Ross-Stone decided to do something about it. The couple, who are grandmothers and lesbian life-partners, were married in Canada last fall and now they just want the US government to acknowledge their commitment by granting them the rights and protections of a legally recognized marriage.

“We are angry and frustrated because our government insists that our love for one another is not worthy of honor and respect,” says Elisia who adds, “and that is just plain wrong.”

Rather than sitting at home and waiting for marriage equality to come to them, the Ross-Stones are riding their bicycles from coast-to-coast to gather support for civil marriage equality in cities and towns across America.

The couple recently left their winter home in Florida to head west to San Francisco to begin the 3800-mile bicycle ride to Rehoboth Beach Delaware.

Carrie and Elisia will ride into Salt Lake City on Friday May 14 and will be in town until Sunday May 16. On Friday May 14 at 4:45 PM there will be a Welcome Rally at the Salt Lake City-County Building where the couple will be greeted by Salt Lake City residents and Mayor Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson. At 1:00 PM on Saturday, they will participate in a panel discussion at a public forum about Equal Civil Marriage Rights at the Salt Lake City Public Library. Finally, on Sunday morning the pair will be present for a non-denominational Sunrise Send-off at the Amphitheater overlooking the city and Creek City Canyon.

As they ride across fourteen states Elisia and Carrie will also stop and speak in other towns and cities along the way. Many communities throughout America’s heartland are anxiously awaiting the pair and are planning marriage equality rallies and speaking events to coincide with their visit.

Carrie and Elisia have spent the last seven months planning for the ride and in addition to Salt Lake City, the couple has events planned in San Francisco, Reno, Ft. Collins, Topeka, St. Louis, Springfield IL, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh, New York, Rehoboth Beach and finally Washington DC.

When asked about their motivation for doing the ride, Carrie and Elisia say they want to empower lesbian and gay families who are harmed each day because they are denied basic legal rights and protections. Carrie believes the struggle for equal civil marriage rights is a grassroots effort. She continues, "It is being instigated by ordinary, everyday lesbian and gay couples, like us, who want to participate in the American dream.”

Elisia and Carrie say they do not have a choice but to do something extraordinary to defeat the pending constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Doing nothing is not an option, they say.

For a detailed schedule of events or to read the online journal and see photos of the ride, log onto http://www.RainbowLaw.com and click on the link to the Rainbow Ride Across America. For information about the Salt Lake City visit, please contact Michael Aaron at (801) 856-5655.