Our Quaker Friends cherished us
2005
Gill and Betty are both Quakers.
Gill: “In the mid ‘90s when we (their Quaker meeting) had some
discussions around sexuality at a discussion group, they were
really very keen that Betty and I should have a proper commitment
ceremony…”
Betty: “…and we didn’t want one at that point.”
G:
“Betty’s kids were too young. They weren’t able to handle it, it was
too embarrassing for them. They’re absolutely fine now, they treat us
as a couple. We had this commitment ceremony on 25th June 2005, before civil
partnerships. We haven’t done our civil partnership for various
complications like not being able to find Betty’s divorce papers, but
the kids refer to it as, 'I remember at your wedding'".
B: “We
brought it up at the business meeting a few months before, about March
or April, and said we’d like to do this and there was such enthusiasm
and on the day everybody was there, somebody had made us a book for
everybody to sign, somebody did masses of catering, somebody did all
the washing up, people came to put up the Marquee, people came to
arrange the chairs, somebody bought flowers from their gardens.”
G: “Yes, things that we hadn’t even expected like bringing flowers, all sorts of things.”
B: “Pam brought 6 little bouquets so we felt absolutely cherished didn’t we?”
B:” And there’s nobody in a meeting which I can think of who’s anything other than fine.”
Contributed by: Gill Coffin, 63, Betty Hagglund, 50