Kim Blackett (right) and his husband Brent Schneider

Kim Blackett appears with Bill Allred, Brandie Balken, Kirt Bateman, Doug Fabrizio, Stephanie Howell, Jay Perry, Teresa Sanderson and Betsy West in the reading of STANDING ON CEREMONY: THE GAY MARRIAGE PLAYS, a fundraiser for Equality Utah on Monday, November 7 at 6pm at the Salt Lake Art Center, presented as part of Plan-B’s SCRIPT-IN-HAND SERIES. He and his partner of 25 years, Brent Schneider, were legally wed in Washington, D.C. two weeks ago.

“Does it feel any different?” I’ve been asked that several times since my partner of 25 years and I got married in Washington, D.C. on October 25. The answer is “YES!” and that was something I was not expecting. I went into this, basically just wanting a piece of paper that said we were legally married after all these years. It turned out I got more. I’ve been trying to figure out what it is that makes it feel different and I can’t come up with anything in words. As far as the relationship goes, everything was put in place – bugs worked out, differences acknowledged and accepted, toilet paper put on the “proper” way on the dispenser – long before the “I Do’s” were uttered. So what changed?

For years I had said that a little piece of paper wouldn’t change anything about my relationship with my partner. After all, it’s just paper. The thought that someone who was given some sort of authority merely mumbling words in front of us would magically change ANYTHING was absurd to me. Surprise! It did change, there IS some sort of magic involved when a government agency acknowledges the love two people have shared for a quarter of a century with an embossed golden seal on a government contract. They said, “Hey, at least this section of the country doesn’t see you as second class citizens. We notice you, We’ve heard you and we want to make it right.” But, that’s still not the only reason it feels different. It just does…and those who try to tell LGBT folks that a piece of paper really doesn’t matter and won’t change anything are wrong. Very wrong. It does and I hope I can spend the next 25 years figuring out a way to explain it in words.

I am honored to have been asked to participate in STANDING ON CEREMONY: THE GAY MARRIAGE PLAYS. This collection of plays are funny, moving, fast and hit the nail on the head every time. I am thrilled to be working with such a talented group of actors. As they say “timing is everything” and doing this show fresh off “the altar” couldn’t be better timing.