slides: Martinez-Beck Wedding Celebrated in Portland

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Monday, June 01, 2015

GoLocalPDX Lifestyle Team

Two of Oregon’s most influential leaders in the gay and lesbian community were married in a formal marriage ceremony on their 20th anniversary of their first date. Juan Martinez and Byron Beck were married by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum before 300 family and friends at Jacobson Salt Company in Southeast Portland.

Slideshow Below: Martinez-Beck Wedding Celebrated in Portland

The celebration stands as a stark contrast to more than a decade of advocacy by Beck and Martinez. The two were the lead plaintiffs in Martinez v. Kulongoski, the court case which attempted to overturn voter-approved Ballot Measure 36 that excludes same-sex marriage in Oregon. Beck is the Lifestyle Editor at GoLocalPDX and Martinez is Vice President at the Metorpolitan Group in Portland.

There efforts on on behalf of legalizing marriage for gays and lesbians dates back to 2005 when their suit was first struck down by Circuit Judge Joseph Guimond in Marion County.

Saturday’s wedding was a celebration of marriage that marked the next phase in a 20 year old love story and demonstrated the tremendous decade old effort by Beck and Martinez to achieve the right for all gay and lesbian couples to wed.

Also in attendance was former Portland Mayor Sam Adams, Band Leader Thomas Lauderdale, super attorney Jody Stahancyk and GoLocalPDX founder Josh Fenton.

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Related Slideshow: Martinez-Beck Wedding Celebrated in Portland

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