Couples marry, renew vows at Heckscher Museum amid LGBTQ+ exhibition
From left, Eric and Jim Rubin-Perez, of Huntington, with their daughters Ellie, 11, and Jane, 4, Stephen Fricker and Patricia Shih, of Huntington, and Phyllis and Frank Sivillo, of Huntington, took part in the marriage and vow renewal ceremony at Heckscher Museum on Saturday. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Jackie Narkiewicz and Jay Kamean looked lovingly into each other's eyes as Huntington Town Clerk Andrew Raia recited their vows to one another.
"I give you my hand and heart, as a sanctuary of warmth and peace," Raia said, before the vows were repeated by the couple, who have been together for more than two decades.
Moments later, the two exchanged rings, a kiss and an embrace, to the applause of loved ones in attendance. The marriage was official.
"It was surreal," Narkiewicz said after the ceremony. "I'm thrilled."
The pair was among more than a half dozen couples who either married or renewed their vows in front of Heckscher Museum in Huntington on Saturday morning. The event aimed to celebrate the love of the participating partners and to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision recognizing the right of same-sex couples to marry in the United States.
Heather Arnet, executive director and CEO of the museum, said the ceremonies came amid the final weeks of an ongoing exhibition, "All of Me with All of You: LGBTQ+ Art Out of the Collection." The project features pieces from the museum's collection created by LGBTQ+ artists spanning more than 150 years. The exhibition runs through Sept. 14.
"I think it's a good time to remind folks that the freedoms we have weren't automatic, and that they were hard fought," Arnet said. "It helps people have a perspective that just 10 years ago, this wasn't a right and now it is, and it's something we shouldn't take for granted."
Nearly a decade after the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, more same-sex couples got married, jumping from 425,357 couples nationally in 2015 to 774,553 in 2023, Newsday reported. New York legalized same-sex marriage in 2011.
After a pair of marriage ceremonies, six couples, including multiple same-sex couples, renewed their vows on the museum's terrace.
Eric and James Rubin-Perez, joined by their daughters, Ellie, 11, and Jane, 4, renewed their vows after 14 years of marriage.
"My husband and I have worked really hard as a couple," said Eric Rubin-Perez, 45. "I think celebrating all that is important."
James Rubin-Perez said he felt same-sex couples "have to keep fighting for our rights," adding, "any opportunity we have to stand up for our rights, we're going to take it."
Johanna Clifford, 33, and Zilan Chai, 32, of Westchester, got engaged at the park on Sept. 3, 2022, and wanted to come back around the anniversary of that occasion to have their vows renewed. They said they were appreciative of the efforts that came before them to allow their union to happen.
"For us, at the time we wanted to get married, we were able to," Clifford said. "We like to think about all the couples that came before us who couldn't. It's nice things have changed."
Chai, who was originally from China, said she wasn't able to get married to a same-sex partner there, "so it means a lot to me that I got the freedom here to be together with who I love."
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