NEW YORK – Actress and comedian Lea DeLaria will host the reception for the five winning couples of the American Civil Liberties Union’s “My Big Gay (Il)legal Wedding” contest at 54 Below in New York City on May 19, 2014.
“I’m honored to host this wedding reception and celebrate the love between the five same-sex couples who won the ‘Big Gay (Il)legal Wedding’ contest,” said DeLaria “But we also want to highlight the inequality they face just because these Americans live in a state that does not yet recognize same-sex marriage.”
Attendees of the wedding reception will include allies and proponents of the ACLU’s Out for Freedom campaign as well as the winners of the “Wedding Crashers Sweepstakes.” Supporters can visit weddings.aclu.org to sign the wedding guestbook and enter for the chance to win one of five VIP trips to NYC to “crash” the marquee “My Big Gay (Il)legal Wedding” reception. The guestbooks, calling for the freedom to marry, will be delivered to lawmakers in the couples’ home states.
Event host Lea DeLaria is an American comedian, actress, and jazz musician. DeLaria is well known for her role in the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black as Carrie “Big Boo” Black and was also the first openly gay comic to appear on television with her 1993 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show.
The “My Big Gay (Il)legal Wedding Crashers Sweepstakes” is sponsored by the ACLU. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, D.C. & Puerto Rico who are of legal age of majority in their state of residence. Starts 12:01 a.m. ET 3/28/14, ends 11:59 p.m. 5/07/14. Void where prohibited. Subject to Official Rules, available at http://weddings.aclu.org.
More information on the ACLU’s Out for Freedom campaign can be found at: www.aclu.org/out-freedom.