NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: July 23, 2003

L.A. Gay Activist Rev. Troy Perry Announces Challenge

to U.S. to Recognize His Canadian Same-Sex Marriage

Perry Is First Openly Gay Member of LA Human Relations Commission;

Past Delegate To White House Conference on Hate Crimes

West Hollywood- In a Los Angeles press conference on Thursday, July 24, Rev. Troy D. Perry, Founder and Moderator of the predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Churches, will announce his plan to challenge the U.S. courts to recognize his same-sex marriage.

Perry, the first openly gay member of the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission, wed his partner of 18 years, Phillip Ray De Blieck, in Toronto, Ontario on July 16, 2003, under a new Canadian law legalizing same-sex marriages.

Perry and De Blieck are the first Southern California couple to be legally married in Canada.

"I never thought gay marriage would be legalized in my lifetime," Rev. Perry said. "God bless Canada."

Rev. Perry, the first national gay rights leader to marry in Canada, will also encourage thousands of gay and lesbian couples to go to Canada and do the same.

Now that he has returned to the States, Rev. Perry plans to call on U.S. courts to recognize his marriage. U.S. courts have traditionally recognized marriages that are valid where they are performed – a concept called "lex loci contractus."

The U.S. government has historically recognized marriages performed under Canadian law as legally valid in the U.S. According to Perry, a decision not to recognize same-sex Canadian marriages may be a violation of international treaty law and a violation of the equal protection clause of the Constitution's 14th Amendment.

"We are not seeking special treatment," Perry said. "We seek equal treatment. That is the only gay agenda – equality for everyone under the law."

"To not recognize my marriage and the marriages of thousands of other same-sex couples, would be discrimination – and we will not stand for that any longer," Perry said.

The press conference will be held in the MCCLA Sanctuary at 10 am on Thursday, July 24. MCCLA is located at 8714 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA, 90069.

Metropolitan Community Churches is a Christian denomination with 46,000 members in 300 churches in 22 countries. MCC churches annually perform more than 6000 same-sex weddings. "These are weddings that are blessed in the sight of God, but still not recognized by most governments," added Perry.

Additional information on MCC can be found at www.MCCchurch.org.

-END-

Press Coverage Of Rev. Perry's Canadian Wedding Can Be Found At:

'Thank God for Canada': Newlywed gay activist

Rev. Troy Perry travelled from L.A. to marry long-time partner

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1058351588053

MCC Head Weds

Urges Americans To Marry In Canada To Force Change At Home

http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/071603PerryWeds.htm





For Additional Information, Contact:

Roman Cardenas, Associate Director of Communications

Metropolitan Community Churches

8704 Santa Monica Boulevard, 2nd Floor

West Hollywood, CA 90069

Tel. 310-360-8640, Ext. 228

Cell 310-625-4138

E-Mail: romancardenas@MCCchurch.org