Love Unites Richmond

Written by Press Release

In celebration of Valentine’s Day weekend, eight Richmond couples will host an evening reception to raise awareness of marriage equality in Virginia. The February 12 event at downtown dining destination Chez Foushee is the brainchild of friends Jeff Wells and Marc Purintun.

With gay marriage a hot button issue across the United States, Love Unites Richmond brings gay married couples and supporters together for a night of celebration. Event chair Jeff Wells says he plans to host this event every year until marriage equality is a reality for everyone in the Commonwealth.

Wells owns the Museum District’s Maury Place at Monument bed and breakfast with husband Mac Pence (both pictured above). The bed & breakfast, recently named one of the best in the United States by TripAdvisor, is a presenting sponsor of the event. The couple married in 1999 and had a legal ceremony in Massachusetts in 2009 on their 10-year anniversary.

Wells says Love Unites Richmond is a way for Richmond’s gay and lesbian married couples to demonstrate the love and commitment they share is just as valid as anyone else’s.

“One of the most persuasive ways to garner support for marriage equality is showing that most people already know gay married couples who are part of their daily lives,” Wells says. “We are neighbors, friends, brothers, sisters, teachers, lawyers, and business people who are out there living marriage in the Richmond community every day.”

At the event, donations will be accepted for Freedom to Marry – one of the nation’s top marriage equality advocacy groups since 2003.

The hosting couples constitute a diverse cross-section of Richmond’s gay community; they include:

Van Baskins & Marc Purintun
James Finley & John Sternlicht
Debbi Harrington & Susan Minyard
Peter Goldin & Brian Hollis
Robin Gorsline & Jonathan Lebolt
Mac Pence & Jeff Wells
Carol Schall & Mary Townley
Kat & Abigail Winter-Lewis

As Wells explains, Richmond’s LGBT couples are already a vital part of the community. “The host couples all have chosen to live in Richmond. We have our livelihoods here. Mac’s business is here, the business we own together is here. Robin Gorsline is minister of Richmond's Metropolitan Community Church. We all have roots here,” Wells says.

“Just like anyone else, we have roots in our surrounding communities. We’re fulfilled by our personal and professional lives here. One purpose of this event is to acknowledge that we live in Richmond and in the Commonwealth of Virginia as married couples even though our marriages are not legally recognized as valid. We want to focus attention on that injustice."

The event is Sunday, February 12, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Chez Foushee, 203 N. Foushee Street and includes a cocktail reception with cash bar, heavy hors d’oeurves, and a champagne toast. Tickets are $30 per person and are available at http://LoveUnitesRichmond.com.

In addition to Maury Place at Monument, GayRVA.com is a presenting sponsor of the event. GayRVA is Richmond’s news and entertainment magazine for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.