* Religion

Clergy members gather in support of same-sex marriage

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“I asked myself, ‘If the U.S. Marine Corps can get this, what is wrong with Ohio?’  ” said Ahrens, who serves as senior minister at the Downtown church.

His voice boomed yesterday to the applause of about four-dozen clergy members gathered at King Avenue United Methodist Church to support Why Marriage Matters Ohio, a grassroots campaign that seeks legalization of same-sex marriage.

The Rev. John Keeny, senior pastor at King Avenue, has blessed about two same-gender unions per month since June for couples who have legally married in other states after being together for as many as 20 years.
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“I believe in same-gender marriage because I’ve seen it,” he said. “I have seen the faithfulness. I have seen their frustration with each other, I have seen their arguments with each other. I have seen forgiveness and patience and thoughtfulness and tenderness.”

Same-sex marriage is banned in Ohio under a constitutional amendment voters approved in 2004. Since that year, legislatures, judges and voters have made gay marriage legal in more than 30 other states and the District of Columbia.

Some Christian denominations and most Islamic and Orthodox Jewish leaders oppose same-sex marriage. Religious leaders who support the unions typically belong to churches or sects that support gay marriage or are going against the official stance of their denominations.

Ahrens calls himself a “recovering homophobe” who opposed gay marriage when he was ordained in 1985. Seven years later, he celebrated a gay couple’s union in his church, and he has consecrated and celebrated many same-sex marriages since.

The Rev. Carmeka Benning, senior pastor at Driven by Purpose Ministries in the University District, said she spoke at the event because she recently saw firsthand how difficult it is for couples to use vacation days and spend extra money to marry in another state.