Erich and Tim live together in Bristol, where they spend time with family, attend church, and give back to the community.
Like most couples, Erich and Tim dream of the day when they will be able to get married. They’re ready to make a lifelong promise to one another, surrounded by family and friends who love them. But in the state they call home, their love isn’t recognized.
Erich and Tim are advocating for the freedom to marry in Rhode Island because they want to commit to one another in sickness and in health, in good times and bad. At the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in March, Erich and Tim were one of dozens of couples who told the committee members why marriage matters to them.
“We attend Church on Sunday and volunteer for causes close to our hearts, in our spare time, together. We laugh and we cry. We argue and we make-up. We sing and we dance. We run and we rest. We love each other. We would like nothing more than to be able to share our love in marriage and have it recognized in our home state.”
Tim is one of seven children. At his childhood home, his parents’ wedding picture is framed and surrounded by the wedding pictures of his six siblings. Tim and Erich want nothing more than to add their own wedding picture to this collection.
They’ll have their chance to do just that if the Rhode Island Senate approves marriage equality this afternoon.
