In what seems to be a clear break from Pennsylvania’s recent run into the red, Lancaster Newspapers has just backtracked on its refusal to publish a same-sex couple’s marriage announcement.
Jeffrey Clouser and Brent Weaver wanted to cement their seven-year relationship, so they sent a request to the local paper to officially announce their out-of-state wedding. The couple was then told that their announcement “did not meet the standards of acceptance.”
The paper’s CEO, Harold E. Miller, initially defended the decision, stating that the same-sex marriage announcement was “not consistent with prevailing community standards.”
Outraged, a visitor on the newspaper’s website wrote, “…Can someone at LNP please explain why advertising strip clubs and porn stars is in line with ‘prevailing community standards’ but an engagement announcement for a loving, committed couple is not?“
Hundreds of comments and approximately 24 hours later, Miller issued a public statement, acknowledging that their readers “have many different interests and values.” He then reversed the decision, proclaiming that “all such announcements” would land on the Celebrations pages from now on.
Clouser and Weaver ultimately described this as a victory, further adding that the newspaper “decided to make the smart and correct decision.” Miller ultimately attributed the reversal to the “good dialogue with people in the past 24 hours,” which you can view on the newspaper’s website.
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Olga Hajishengallis
