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Before the night is out on this momentous day, I want to call out a congrats and a thank you to Mark Lawrence, who many months ago dove in where no one else would dive, against critics from all directions, against the ‘conventional wisdom’ of all the equality groups locally and nationally, before there was a Windsor ruling, to put forth his dream of marriage equality in Utah. He did this for others, not for himself. He did this for the community. He lost every hair on his head to make this happen. Lately, he has become the unsung hero and that is a shame. We all owe a great debt of gratitude to a man with a huge heart and a dream. There would be no rally today, no relevant Supreme Court ruling, no marriages and no adoptions without him. Dallin Oaks would not have taken the pulpit to call for civility. I wouldn’t have met 4 of the six plaintiffs. I’d never have heard of Judge Robert Shelby and there would be no utahgayweddings.com. I wonder if other courts would have reached their decisions in the same way and the same timeline without him. Perhaps he changed a country. I raise a glass to a personal hero, and with that I say good night. I hope you sleep well tonight, Mark.
