Ordinary People Working to Effect Great Change - The Norfolk Marriage Lawsuit

L to R: Laurel Quarlberg, a past Legends honoree, Tony London, Bob Ruloff, and Me

On November 9, 2013, my partner and I attended Equality Virginia's 2013 Legends Gala which honored Miles Burcher, a person friend, as the 2013 "legend" for past service that he has provided to the Hampton Roads LGBT community and his efforts to achieve full equality for all Virginians.  An added bonus of the event was that The American Foundation for Equal Rights ("AFER") was one of the sponsors of the event.  Better yet, all four of the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit pending in the Norfolk Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia that challenges the toxic Marshall-Newman Amendment to Virginia's Constitution (which bans any legal recognition of same sex relationships, not just marriage) were in attendance.  The plaintiffs are Tim Bostic and Tony London from Norfolk, Virginia, and Carol Schall and Mary Townley from Richmond, Virginia.  I had the good fortune to speak with all four of these self-described ordinary people as well as representatives of AFER.   In fact,  Carol Schall and Mary Townley said several times that they felt that they were in a sort of a dream - "we're just ordinary people who find themselves in something they never expected."

An article in the Richmond Times Dispatch reports on an interview with Tim Bostic and Tony London where they say something very similar: 

There is nothing special about us. We care for our dogs, we try to be good neighbors, we try to volunteer and give back to our community,” he said.

A few days after the Supreme Court decision, London was closing a loan for a real estate deal with Norfolk attorney Robert E. Ruloff. They talked about the ruling on DOMA and Proposition 8. “Then Bob offered to marry us,” London said.

At home, London discussed the idea with Bostic. Both knew that because of Virginia’s marriage amendment, a federal lawsuit would be inevitable. They also considered the consequences that national scrutiny would bring.

“We figured that if we didn’t do it, who would?” Bostic said. “If people like us won’t stand up for what’s right, who is going to do it? We can do it without worrying about our children getting harmed or our careers, or having financial difficulties because of that.”

In October, attorneys Theodore B. Olson and David Boies — the legal team that successfully argued California’s Proposition 8 case — announced that they would join Shuttleworth and Ruloff in representing the couple.

Bostic and London are also joined by Chesterfield County couple Carol Schall, an autism researcher, and Mary Townley, who also works with special-needs youths. The couple has been together for 28 years and has a 16-year-old daughter. They were married in California in 2008.

The message to all of is that it takes ordinary people living their lives openly and authentically and standing up to discrimination to change the world.  Eddie Windsor is yet another example.  We cannot wait for someone else to do what needs to be done.  We need to have the courage and fortitude to step up and endeavor to make a difference.  Just like Carol Schall and Mary Townley and Tim Bostic and Tony London.  It was a privilege to spend time with these four great people and to reconnect with my former law partner, Bob Ruloff, one of the attorneys representing the four plaintiffs.  All of us can be "legends" if we but have the courage to do so.

Yours truly with Carol Schall and Mary Townley