Congratulations to newly engaged and newly married Freedom to Marry staffers!

October 14, 2013

It was a big weekend for marriage in the personal lives of the Freedom to Marry staff. One of our team members got engaged to her boyfriend on Friday, and one of our newest staffers tied the knot on Saturday afternoon. 

On Saturday, October 12, our Deputy Director of Development, Hunter Armstrong, wed his longtime partner, Jay Meisel at the Prospect Park Picnic House in Brooklyn, NY. Hunter began working at Freedom to Marry at the end of this summer, and he's come aboard with enthusiasm to help us reach the end of our Roadmap to Victory as soon as possible. Hunter and Jay met while studying at the University of Virginia, where Hunter was working toward his master's degree in urban and environmental planning and Jay, who works as an associate general counsel of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, was studying law. 

Hunter explained how it felt to tie the knot on Saturday. He said, "One of the many highlights for me was my father bringing all of my friends and family to tears during his toast at the reception. So moving - and a moment I never could have anticipated in my teens or 20, before I came out."

Freedom to Marry's Database Coordinator, Jennifer Cabrera, came home from work on Friday to her Queens, NY apartment to a beautiful surprise from her boyfriend, Kitoh Grey. Their lobby was lit in candles, and he had a gorgeous engagement ring. He asked her to marry him, and she responded with an excited "yes." 

Jennifer said, "In a word, I'm overjoyed. There's something really special about being able to gather our family and friends and celebrate our commitment to one another. But it's not lost on either of us that we're lucky to be able to get married here in New York and to have that marriage respected when we go to my home state of Arkansas or anywhere else. Many of the people we'd like to invite to our wedding don't have that security, and frankly, it's unfair."

Both couples are thrilled to be able to take part in this exciting life step after contributing so fervently to the campaign to win the freedom to marry for all couples nationwide.