Why queer couples are marrying before Trump enters office
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Avery Condon, left, and Sarah Messeck have their first dance after marrying at "Queerly Beloved. Photo: Jullian Valadares for Lensy Michelle & Amanda Macchia
Dozens of LGBTQ+ couples across Greater Boston wed ahead of the presidential inauguration, channeling love into resistance against the incoming Trump administration.
Why it matters: President-elect Trump's return to the White House has raised fears that he and his advisers would strip LGBTQ+ protections, even unlikely targets like marriage equality and the benefits marriage includes.
State of play: Boston-area businesses created at least three options for queer couples who requested ceremonies before Trump’s inauguration.
- Olio in Peabody, a wedding venue, has offered free elopements since November. The venue hosted 14 couples, says Sarah Narcus, the owner.
- All She Wrote Books, a Somerville bookstore owned by a queer woman, launched wedding packages.
- Lensy Michelle Photography, Dearly Studio in Somerville and four other businesses organized a joint wedding ceremony and a public reception for seven couples at The Sinclair earlier this month.
The intrigue: More than 300 people attended the joint wedding event, Queerly Beloved, a community-wide effort among performers, photographers and other vendors.
- Many of them, including The Sinclair, offered their services for free or at cost, says Lindsey Michelle of Lensy Michelle Photography.
What they're saying: It was "a war cry of queer joy," said Sarah Messeck, who married Avery Condon that night.
Zoom in: Messeck and Condon met on the Cape in 2022 and got engaged last year.
- They planned a wedding for June 2025, which remains on the books, but decided to marry sooner once they saw the presidential election results.
- The couple emailed Michelle about their new plans, unwittingly becoming the impetus for Queerly Beloved, Michelle tells Axios.
Threat level: Many civil rights attorneys and advocates debate the degree to which the Trump administration could put marriage equality in jeopardy.
- Trump has previously said he supports same-sex marriage, and neither he nor the Project 2025 blueprint his allies support mentioned rolling back marriage protections.
Yes, but: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion in the 2022 Dobbs ruling, which nixed federal abortion protections, suggested the court "reconsider" past rulings on birth control and same-sex marriage.
- The fear of the courts unraveling decades-old protections has spurred pre-Trump weddings in several states.
Flashback: Before the right to marry became federal law for same-sex couples a decade ago, many couldn't share employer-based insurance plans, make medical decisions for one another, adopt children together or access other benefits long enjoyed by heterosexual couples.
- Knowing that, and what a privilege marriage is for non-queer couples, is why Queerly Beloved was so important, Michelle tells Axios.
What's next: Michelle is creating a wedding directory to connect LGBTQ+ couples with vetted vendors, from queer-led businesses like Michelle's to ally-owned groups like Dearly Studio and Olio.
The bottom line: Condon says they see events like Queerly Beloved as a blueprint for LGBTQ+ people under the Trump administration.
- "No one is going to be there for us except ourselves, except the queer community," they said.
- "This, just in my view, was a beautiful way to start."
