Pictured: From left: Young Gee, Reed Dong-Gee and Arthur Dong. Photo courtesy of Arthur Dong. Heather Matarazzo ( left ) and Carolyn Murphy. Photo by Tiffany Rose. Quinn McCauley Coleman at 19 days old. Photo courtesy of Georg Coleman
Contest for wedding ceremony at Empire State Building
Condé Nast's Brides.com and The Empire State Building have announced the call for entry to couples who wish to be wed at New York City's Empire State Building. Fourteen lucky couples will be selected to exchange vows at this landmark on Valentine's Day next year.
The contest welcomes same-sex couples to enter—and if a gay or lesbian couple is selected to be part of the event, it will mark the first-ever same-sex commitment ceremony held at this iconic skyscraper.
Couples looking to marry, renew their vows or take part in a commitment ceremony are invited to submit their tales of romance directly at www.brides.com/esb. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 24.
San Diego Harrah's hosting same-sex wedding ceremonies
Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort San Diego North has announced the availability of wedding and commitment ceremony opportunities for same-sex partners. Titled 'Love Has No Limits,' Harrah's Rincon has designed wedding options that offer couples everything from a formal ceremony to a Las Vegas-style event complete with celebrity impersonators.
As an added feature, Harrah's is also offering couples the opportunity to 'Marry in San Diego, Honeymoon in Paris,' where couples can have their wedding ceremony and reception at Harrah's Rincon and spend their honeymoon at the luxurious Paris Las Vegas.
Harrah's recently received HRC's 2008 Best Place to work for LGBT Equality. Moreover, Harrah's Entertainment has endorsed the passage of a Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act to ensure that no employee in the United States may be fired on the basis of sexual orientation or gender expression.
For more details about the 'Love Has No Limits' wedding options, call Harrah's Rincon Group Sales at 877-777-2457, ext. 3251; e-mail groupsales@rincon.harrahs.com; or visit www.harrahsrincon.com and click on 'Love Has No Limits.'
Film director gets married
Revered out filmmaker Arthur Dong married Young Gee Aug. 9 in the Chinatown section of Los Angeles. ( Dong and Gee are pictured with son Reed Dong-Gee. )
Among Dong's movies are Forbidden City, U.S.A. ( a 1989 documentary about Chinese-American nightclubs in 1940s San Francisco ) and Out Rage '69 ( a 1995 piece on the Stonewall riots ) . Dong's latest work, Hollywood Chinese ( 2007 ) , a look at the history of the Chinese as reflected in U.S. films. He has received a variety of honors, including two consecutive GLAAD ( Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ) Media Awards and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Dong has also earned an Oscar nomination.
Snyder among new associate judges
Openly gay sitting judge Jim Snyder was one of nine new Cook County associate judges named Sept. 15, according to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.
The other sitting judges named were Laura Bertucci Smith, Margarita T. Kulys Hoffman and Thomas Mulroy, Jr. Other individuals named as judges included assistant attorneys general Ellen Mandeltort and Patrice M. Ball-Reed as well as private practitioners John Huff, Michael Panter and Gregory Vasquez.
Cook County associate judges, of which there are 143, each earn $161,077 annually and serve four-year terms.
Love and marriage
Engaged couple Heather Matarazzo and Carolyn Muphy made an appearance at the 'Same Sex in the City™—The Wedding Show 2008,' which took place Aug. 17 in Los Angeles. The show—sponsored by BottomLine Magazine, PinkBananaMedia.com and LAGayWeddingGuide.com—offered a variety of gay-friendly wedding professionals specializing in areas such as planning, design, photography, catering, cake design, fashion, travel and more.
BIRTHS Quinn McCauley Coleman
Quinn McCauley Coleman—the daughter of partners Georg Coleman and Teresa McCauley—was born Sept. 17 at 4:11 p.m. Quinn was 7 lbs., 13 oz., and was 21 inches long.
