Gay Marriage at Cedar Point: Please help us!

Greetings friends!

Cedar Point is holding a contest (http://bit.ly/13KLWtI) for couples to be married at the park on 9/13. My fiancé Scott (@KeniScott) would love to be selected, but Tony Clark (@TonyClarkCP) has refused to accept our submission due to Ohio's stance against same-sex marriage.

We both adore CP and our time shared at that magical place. Being married there (even if just a commitment ceremony) would mean the world to us. I love it so much, I even featured many photos of us at the park in a website I created as an anniversary present for Scott: LuvHubster.com | The Photo Love Story of Scott & Eric.

Please tweet @TonyClarkCP and @CedarPoint to ask for equal rights in their wedding contest.

My Twitter handle is @ericjmorrison. Thank you so very much!

Good for you for trying to be part of it! It won't be easy because of the legal issues, but I think you should keep trying. I'll tweet/email for you, too. Good luck!

I see this thread going 200+ posts in 24 hours. Maybe quicker if someone says something to get the hate flowing, as it undoubtedly will.

Bottom line, just facts... CP can do what they want, it's their promotion, their property, and legally, they can take any stance on gay marriage they like since sexual orientation is not a protected class.

I'm gonna go make me some popcorn.

While I completely think gay marriage should be perfectly accepted and all that, currently, Ohio limits that.

Cedar Point is not setting this rule, the state is. They legally, can not do it.

While I wish you were able to, sadly, I don't think you have a chance unless you can change Ohio law in just a few weeks.

Would I love to be "legally" married in Ohio? Absolutely. But, I'm realistic and know that is not legal as of this contest. However, a commitment ceremony is certainly possible and should be eligible for this contest. Plus, Cedar Fair should rightfully stand in support of the LGBT community given how many LGBT employees they have.

What does the law have to do with lifetime commitments? We could still participate without it being legally binding, because it would be binding to us. It would be our commitment made to each other for our lives, in a place that is very special to us both, which is more important than what a piece of paper says.

By taking this stance, Cedar Fair is harming their image to a great deal of people as the support for same-sex marriage increases. I sincerely hope they allow Scott and I to take part in a commitment ceremony at the place we both adore so very much.

If you agree that a commitment ceremony should be counted in the contest, please tweet @TonyClarkCP and @CedarPoint to ask for equal rights in their wedding contest.

I'm not asking for a legal marriage, just to be allowed to at least be considered for the contest with a commitment ceremony. Nothing more, nothing less.

Thank you for your support!

Eric - I recommend you take it a step further and email (and possibly snail mail) the higher ups at both Cedar Point and Cedar Fair. Make sure the letters are respectful and well written (no typos, major grammer mistakes etc.) and you are more likely to be taken seriously.

If you want to take it two steps further you could organize a protest or see if you could get a news outlet to pick it up.

It might be too late to change the rules for this event but you might be able to have an impact on future events.

coast said:

By taking this stance, Cedar Fair is harming their image to a great deal of people as the support for same-sex marriage increases. I sincerely hope they allow Scott and I to take part in a commitment ceremony at the place we both adore so very much.

And please tell me, why would it hurt Cedar Fair's/Point's image. If my numbers are correct, after chick fil a took their side of the debate their sales increased dramatically. Now tell me, why would the same not happen for Cedar Fair/Point

This is not a comment on whether I think same-sex marriage should be legal or not.

The fact is that according to what Tony has posted, they want to conduct "legal" ceremonies, and it appears by his note, are requiring those couples selected to show up with marriage licenses. Since this is currently not possible for same-sex couples in Ohio, they are necessarily limiting it to male-female couples. My guess is that if it wasn't the law, there would be no hesitation to consider you Eric. I'm thinking you would be much further ahead talking to lawmakers who have the power to change the law instead of an amusement park that doesn't have the option of ignoring the law.

Frankly, this is no different from the types of things they do at Universal and Disney as well...but what both of those parks do that is different from Cedar Point is that they DO offer alternative options for gay/lesbian couples as well -- but they are separate promotions. I don't see that being something that CF would be interested in, because they are trying to increase the visibility of CP as a wedding location. In Ohio, gay/lesbian weddings are not yet permitted. The world is changing quickly, but not that quickly.

I think you can petition them all you want, your not going to get anywhere for this promotional. But increasing awareness with the higher ups might help someday down the road.

I'm a huge supporter of same sex marriage, but as others have mentioned, this is one fight that can not be won by petitioning Cedar Point. Aside from the whole legal reason CP will not allow it (or rather the state), I could sadly seeing this not ending well at the park or for them. I have no doubt that there would be people in the audience who would not like or want to see 2 men getting married. And they'd probably be angry enough to try and start something with the park over it.

My suggestion would be to include Cedar Point in some other aspect of your future wedding. Like making it part of your honeymoon. I know it's not the most ideal sounding alternative, but it would at least be something.

As a Cedar Point loving gay man myself, I can completely understand your desire to be a part of this event at Cedar Point. Like others have already said though, this is a marriage ceremony (officiated by a zombie no-less) and not a commitment ceremony.

I want legalized same-sex marriage to come to Ohio as badly as you, but I certainly don't want to protest my way into others' ceremonies. I sort of feel like your approach here is reinforcing the the conservative fear that gay couples will challenge venues that choose not to perform same-sex weddings by forcing them to conduct them against their beliefs.

Equality will happen one day and there are times to stage protests to further the cause, personally though I just don't think this is the way to go about it. I really feel more sympathy for Cedar Point and Tony, that their fun idea for a zombie wedding promotion is now being mucked up.

While I 100% support your cause, your beef lies with Columbus (or DC), not with the park. Whoever they are getting to perform the ceremony would unfortunately find themselves in a lot of legal hot water if they tried to conduct a homosexual marriage. If Ohio's laws weren't so backasswards, I'm sure the park would have absolutely no problem with including you in the ceremony.

I'm not so sure they'd be so open to it. For years, Fathers Day has been an unofficial "Gay Day" at Cedar Point, yet the park has never made an official day of it. Not saying they're against it, but not so sure they'd be ready to endorse it, either.

I will say this is a bunch of BS...

Let people do what they want, I'm sure heterosexual couples aren't the only ones in between the sheets..They'll take your money & let you do stuff, but not include you in a little ceremony.

I can't wait until this world changes, stuff like this just irks me tbh. It's sad places like KI have a Gay pride day that closes the park to let them enjoy it to themselves, but CP it's just, there, that's it...Why must this be a 2nd class citizen deal...ugh!

I am in full support of letting everyone fulfill their dreams at cedar point but sad as it is to say they wont even admit to a movie that was filmed there cause it contained same sex couples. I have asked about the film and was given the answer of " there was never such a film made here " look up movie title "edge of 17 " you can tell without a doubt it's c.p.

Hi guys - I'm going to step in here since I know it's a sensitive issue and there appears to be some confusion. And I also don't want anyone to jump to conclusions about me or the park, since I'm being called out as the one who's refusing same-sex couples.

First, the 13 weddings is a promotional idea with no pretense. We wanted to do something on Friday the 13th and since the number is significant to a lot of people, weddings was a fun way to do it.

Second, we cannot legally have weddings here unless they are male/female couples. It's currently the law in Ohio and we aren't going to deviate from that. It's their law, not ours.

If it were legal in Ohio, of course we'd allow same-sex submissions. Nobody here is trying to discriminate against anyone or any guest. This is an issue that needs to be taken up with government, not Cedar Point. This isn't political for us - it's merely a promotion.

Since this particular promotion is "13 weddings," we're shooting for 13 weddings. If we don't get enough submissions, we may not even host it. We asked for renewal of vows as a backup. If it were "13 acts of love," then it wouldn't matter, but that's not what we're doing this time around.

While we currently don't have a formal "wedding" program at the park, we're working on one (where couples can get married here, choose from packages, and, even have a commitment ceremony here).

But we're not at that point yet. It takes a lot of planning and coordination from different departments. This is a future opportunity - it's just not possible right now.

I should mention that back in February, Eric & Scott were presented with an opportunity we COULD accommodate (which we do for all couples) - a beach ceremony package setup, but no in-park ceremony. Right now, anyone who wants to have a ceremony here is given that type of option.

We (especially I) don't hate or dislike anyone. Trust me on that.

I looked up "Edge of 17" on IMDb and the filming location is Sandusky, OH., not Cedar Point. The IMDb listing does mention that Raptor was shown in a shot of Cedar Point (panorama) and listed it as a goof since the movie was set in 1984 and Raptor was built in 1994. But, as far as I can tell, no filming was done in the park and Cedar Point was not the setting of the film.

The only movie ever filmed on location at Cedar Point is called "Close Encounters of the 4th Kind: Infestation from Mars". From what I understand, Kinzel's daughter (Stacy Boals I believe) is part of the cast and that is why they were given permission to film in the park. The movie featured a scene with Dick and Judy Kinzel at the Bocci Club in Sandusky and a scene at Kinzel's house in addition to the park scenes and other locations in Sandusky.

Thank you Tony for posting a reply to this. Scott and I appreciate it greatly. On a side note, we both respect you and the entire CP management team. Our protest of the terms of the contest are not intended to be hostile towards you, CP or any members of the CP team. You guys collectively have always been accommodating and friendly with us and we certainly appreciate it. As I mentioned earlier, I love CP and it remains and will continue to be our favorite date spot.

That being said, I also must stand up for what I believe to be right. The terms of the contest are discriminatory against same-sex partners and it feels like CP is using the legality of marriage in Ohio to stand behind. It would be very simple to open the contest to all couples, regardless of if the ceremony is legal or not. What does the park gain from the marriages being legal? You'll still have 13 couples having a commitment ceremony on 9/13... mission accomplished and the PR from the event could be even better.

Cedar Fair, as far as I know, has not taken a public stance on the same-sex issue. Of course, that is CF's right, but with such a large base of the LGBT community having a stake in the company, it sure would be nice to know where CF stands. Plus, as a publicly traded company, the share holders would likely also want to know.

Please allow me to address some of the points you made....

OnPointTony said:
And I also don't want anyone to jump to conclusions about me or the park, since I'm being called out as the one who's refusing same-sex couples.

When Scott read the blog, he came into my office ecstatic to apply, then that quickly deflated as he read the terms. He stated via Twitter that the rules were not gay friendly, you then replied offering sympathy but standing by the terms, thus refusing our submission. Nothing personally against you was intended, it is just how it happened. Plus, since the blog has your signature and you tweeted the link, and the fact that you are the PR face of CP, of course I asked for people to tweet you directly.

OnPointTony said:
Second, we cannot legally have weddings here unless they are male/female couples. It's currently the law in Ohio and we aren't going to deviate from that. It's their law, not ours.

We understand this. There is nothing Cedar Fair can do about Ohio law. BUT, the terms COULD accept commitment ceremonies and still have the same, if not more, PR and impact for the company.

OnPointTony said:Nobody here is trying to discriminate against anyone or any guest.

The terms of the contest, by not accepting commitment ceremonies, is indeed discriminatory against same-sex couples who cannot legally be married in Ohio.

OnPointTony said:If we don't get enough submissions, we may not even host it.

Open it up to commitment ceremonies and you'll see the 13 you need.

OnPointTony said:I should mention that back in February, Eric & Scott were presented with an opportunity we COULD accommodate (which we do for all couples) - a beach ceremony package setup, but no in-park ceremony. Right now, anyone who wants to have a ceremony here is given that type of option.

This was offered to us and we greatly appreciate it! But wouldn't you also love to have a ceremony by a ZOMBIE?!

We (especially I) don't hate or dislike anyone. Trust me on that.

I do absolutely trust this. I know you are always super friendly and nice to engage with. However, I'm not clear on Cedar Fair's stance on this issue. Everyone in the management for Cedar Fair is a joy to interact with. But what is the corporate stance?

Tony, We ask you to please speak with the powers that be about this issue. Please explain the situation and see if opening the contest to commitment ceremonies is a possibility. We would simply adore being able to be part of this terrific event. I hope there are no hard feelings. I did this to prove a point and call out terms that are not friendly to all park enthusiasts. We look forward to visiting again very soon and I hope to be able to chat about this in person with you while sharing a few laughs as we always do.

Thank you my friend!

Sincerely,
Eric

I just honestly don't see where Cedar Fair (or any corporation for that matter) has the "responsibility" to take a position on any issue that doesn't directly affect the operation of their company. I'm sorry, as much as you would like to see a multi-million dollar company become an ally in your cause, I just don't see how this is Cedar Fair's fight to fight.