Richard Carey completes cross-country bike ride for Freedom to Marry

For nearly two months, 53-year-old Richard Carey has been biking across the country in order to raise money for Freedom to Marry and raise awareness about why marriage matters for all loving and committed couples. Yesterday, he dipped the rear wheel of his bicycle in the Atlantic Ocean in Maine, signaling the end of his 3,667-mile journey from Washington state to Maine. 

In that time, he visited 11 states and had countless conversations with his fellow bikers and people he met along the way about why he supports the freedom to marry and why it's important to grant same-sex couples the same protections that different-sex couples receive through marriage. 

On his journey, Richard passed through three of the four states facing marriage-related ballot initiatives - Washington, Minnesota, and Maine. In the last leg of his trip, he met with Mainers United for Marriage, the coalition working to proactively win marriage for same-sex couples at the ballot in November. 

He said

"The message I carried on my bike, from town to town and through 11 states, was that all committed couples should be able to be married. This was a personal challenge and a great experience, but it was made better because I was doing it for a cause I really believe in."

Although he's completed his trip, he's just a little bit short of meeting his $25,000 personal fundraising goal. Help him out by donating a few dollars on his personal fundraising page!

Congratulations, Richard!