'A perfect moment to seize': Fairness Campaign leader and husband marry on White House lawn

Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, Louisville Courier Journal
·4 min read
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Chris Hartman and his husband John Adams after reading their vows. They got married at the South Lawn of the White House during the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act.
Chris Hartman and his husband John Adams after reading their vows. They got married at the South Lawn of the White House during the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act.

Not many people can say they got married at the White House. Just 18 weddings in history had been documented at the president's home as of last month.

Another couple, though, got married this week as the iconic White House stood nearby – and they have Kentucky ties along with a memorable story.

Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, married his husband John Adams on the White House's South Lawn this week after President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law. The ceremony wasn't planned, Hartman told The Courier Journal, but Tuesday's historic moment felt like an opportune time to read their vows and sign the marriage license the couple had picked up that morning at a courthouse in the nation's capital.

"Who doesn't want to get married at the White House with, you know, Cyndi Lauper and Sam Smith as entertainment?" Hartman said Thursday, as he joked about marrying a man with the same name as the second president of the U.S. "And to marry a John Adams on the White House lawn, it seemed like a perfect moment to seize."

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Hartman, whose Fairness Campaign pushes to end discrimination over sexual orientation and gender identity, said he and Adams have been engaged since the pandemic. Hartman had considered getting married at the Jefferson County courthouse if Tina Ward-Pugh had won her election and become Kentucky's first openly LGBTQ county clerk. When that didn't happen, though, he saw this week's trip to Washington, D.C. as a good opportunity.

Hartman said he didn't talk to White House officials before the ceremony. He didn't even know if they were aware it had happened. After all, he said, there were so many people in attendance and so much action around them – a concert by Cyndi Lauper and Sam Smith, Biden's bill signing and a landmark moment for the national LGBTQ rights movement – the signing was mostly shared with a dozen nearby witnesses. Hartman officiated the wedding himself.

Chris Hartman signs his marriage certificate after marrying John Adams at the South Lawn of the White House during the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act.
Chris Hartman signs his marriage certificate after marrying John Adams at the South Lawn of the White House during the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act.

He was not aware of any other couples who got married at the ceremony, but he saw another couple get engaged. But alongside thousands of people celebrating their own victories, they seized their own moment as well.

Like many members of the LGBTQ community, Hartman said, he did not always dream of getting married. But Hartman and Adams knew they wanted to spend their lives together, he said – signing the marriage certificate Tuesday was more of a formality.

The Respect for Marriage Act gives federal protection to same-sex couples and interracial couples, amid some concerns that the U.S. Supreme Court could reverse its 2015 ruling that recognized the legitimacy of gay marriage like it had overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this year, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion and leaving that issue up for states to decide.

John Adams and Chris Hartman along with friends and witnesses from the Equality Federation and The Trevor Project.
John Adams and Chris Hartman along with friends and witnesses from the Equality Federation and The Trevor Project.

Biden called it a "vital step toward equality, toward liberty and justice," at the signing Tuesday. And while Hartman was able to take a moment for an unforgettable celebration, he said there is a much more needs to be done.

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"While the day was historic and memorable and momentous, it wasn't enough. The bill that we had been fighting for this entire year was the national Equality Act, which would finally ban discrimination against LGBTQ people all across America," Hartman said. "The truth is still today that we can be married in the morning and be denied service at a restaurant in the afternoon in most of the United States, including most of Kentucky.

"To have a bill that federally protects our marriages is so important, but it's not the most paramount that people – particularly queer people of color, particularly transgender folks – are still experiencing discrimination at incredibly disproportionately high rates on a daily basis."

The fight isn't over, Hartman said. But for at least one day, he and Adams were able to take in a special occasion.

"This felt like the right moment," he said.

Reach Ana Alvarez Briñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter @SoyAnaAlvarez.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Respect for Marriage Act signing had Kentucky marriage at White House