to you guys today growing up I never
assumed that some people might think my
family as different we lived in an
ordinary house in an ordinary
neighborhood and did ordinary things
like ordering pizza every Sunday for
sometimes I would get questions saying
hey Emily why don’t you have a dad and I
would just respond I don’t and most kids
don’t push it farther than that I had
two moms and that was that as I got a
little older I kind of got to understand
what being gay might mean and I also
came to understand what other kids might
mean when they say oh that’s so gay so
having that association with the word
gay I kind of became withdrawn with
telling people that I had two moms
I was worried what people might think of
my family and selfishly what they might
think of me one day in the playground in
fourth grade a girl came up to me and
asked Emily are your parents gay and I
didn’t take that well I assumed that she
was asking out him Alice and I ran off
crying and I’m sure she was just asking
out genuine curiosity but still it may
mean withdraw even more about who my
parents were
but my mom’s on the other hand they
never held back they would attend
parent-teacher conferences together they
would sign my permission forms for field
trips at both my mom’s they would go to
PTA meetings and present themselves as
Emily’s moms and they were always just
much braver than me my husband si had to
come to an end at some point and that
was when my two mothers joined Tim
Bostick and Tony London as plaintiffs in
the case Bostick V Rainey which was the
marriage equality case in Virginia we
had our first press conference on
September 16th in 2013 in Washington DC
and luckily I didn’t have to speak at it
but it was still really daunting
experience to stand in front of all
these TV cameras and just present our
lives out to everyone
our first hearing was on February 4th in
2014 it was a really cold morning in
Norfolk Virginia and I felt really
awkward and stupid because of course I’d
forgotten my coat and all I had to wear
was my basketball sweatshirt so I was
already on edge and as we were walking
to the courthouse we turned the corner
and suddenly I saw them it was a huge
mob of protesters suddenly I wasn’t so
worried about my sweatshirt anymore they
held signs saying history proclaims that
children do better with a mom and a dad
and I was just hurt by these signs these
people didn’t know who we were they
don’t know my family my moms are too
loving caring people and just thinking
that that’s what they believed I just
knew I had to speak out and I had the
chance to do that at the following press
conference after our fourth circuit
hearing which was in April I think sorry
I was terrified my hands were shaking I
was sweating I was a mess and I stepped
it to the mic and I was just so
overwhelmed with everything but I knew
that it was really important that I had
to do this I had to speak for not only
my family but other families like mine
out there and for myself
there were high-ranking government
officials there were dozens of news
cameras but it was important to get this
message one of the most controversial
issues of our time out to the world and
show that it’s ok our family is normal
we are just like any other family I was
relieved once my speech was ended but I
also felt empowered by speaking about
what was important for me our 13 month
journey came to an end
on October 6 2014 my mom texted me
during class and I promise it was a
class I was allowed to have my phone out
in I’m not a bad student
but she texted me and it said we won and
I was confused I didn’t know what that
meant but a follow-up text clarified
things she said Supreme Court denied
cert on all cases previous ruling stands
the marriage equality in Virginia I was
shocked that was a pretty exciting
moment but I didn’t exactly know what
would happen next
apparently there was plans in motion
already my parents were going to renew
their vows they had been married already
in California in 2008 outside the John
Marshall courthouse in Richmond Virginia
same-sex couples had been getting
married there all afternoon since the
decision had been dropped and of close
friend of ours now the Attorney General
Mark herring was going to be officiating
their wedding so it was a very exciting
moment now I’m not one to express my
deeper emotions I I don’t like to do
that in public very much but sometimes
there are times when you can’t hold back
what you’re feeling inside and seeing my
two moms right in front of me
proclaiming their love to everyone in
the world see I just became overwhelmed
a sob just rose up and overtook me and
suddenly I was crying in front of
everyone and it was a little
embarrassing but overall it was a really
beautiful moment because I knew that my
mom’s after months of fighting for
marriage equality as well of years of
fighting just to be treated as humans
love had finally won for them so thank
and I hope whatever happens in the next
four years love continues to win [Applause]