VA Unitarians Protest Marriage Discrimination

Reverends Phyllis L. Hubbell and John P. Manwel, ministers at a Norfolk Unitarian Church have stated they will continue to officiate wedding ceremonies, but will refuse to sign marriage licenses for heterosexual couples from this point forward in protest of Virginia’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Hubbell and Manwell claim that signing marriage licenses for heterosexual couples, is promoting and encouraging anti-gay bias, and have stated the protest is worth the inconvenience for heterosexuals they marry.

The Unitarian Universalist Association is one of the few denominations that supports marriage equality and offers civil union ceremonies for same-sex couples.