The Great Officiants, a wedding officiant company based in Southern California, recently announced that it will be offering free weddings to couples who feel discriminated against, targeted and fearful about losing certain marital rights or being deported, said Alan Katz, presiding officiant with the company.
“Ever since the election, I’ve had couples— both LGBT and immigration couples— who are fearful that their rights are going to be taken away,” Katz said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “I’m all about helping the community and those who are afraid or sick, and so I figured it was my duty to help people who felt like their lifestyle is in jeopardy.”
The free weddings will take place during the first three Wednesdays of January— Jan. 4, 11 and 18— from 3pm to 7pm at Cute Little Chapel, 3740 Atlantic Ave. #201. No appointments are required, but they are available.
Trump has been fickle on his LGBTQ stance. In an MSNBC article in 2013, the real-estate mogul admitted he is for traditional marriage but said his position on same-sex marriage was “evolving.” However, in a 2015 interview with CNN, he was firmly in support of traditional practices.
On immigration, Trump has been adamant in his approach on implementing strict policies that would deport illegal individuals out of the United States, adding in a speech last August in Phoenix that “those here illegally today who are seeking legal status, they will have one route and one route only— to return home and apply for re-entry like everybody else under the rules of the new legal immigration system that I have outlined today,” per an LA Times transcript of the speech.
Katz believes offering the free wedding ceremonies will provide “peace of mind” for those who are uncertain whether potential policies will essentially strip rights from minorities and the LGBTQ community.
“I want to be there for them and to provide a free service for them,” he said. “It’s […] so they feel secure in the decisions that they want to be made and not be surprised when, all of a sudden, their rights are being taken away or they are being deported or whatever. If somebody loves somebody, and they want to get married, I’m here to do it.”
Katz has been in the wedding business since 2003 and has performed more than 5,000 weddings. He remarked how the Great Officiants was one of the first in the wedding industry to offer same-sex ceremonies in 2008.
Katz has been heavily involved with the marriage-equality movement and upholding a positive standard in the wedding industry, specifically with LGBTQ rights, for some time, he said. The issue is also a personal matter because of his daughter.
“I have a transgender daughter, whom I love and respect and honor her decisions,” said Katz, who added that she now identifies as Dan. “[…] So, for me, it is a very personal thing— knowing that all this work can suddenly come crashing down.”
He said many close friends and Great Officiants clients have been vocal about their fears regarding marital and immigration freedoms, adding how there is a concern that Trump could enact policies at any moment and, “with the swipe of pen, take all the rights they have been given.”
Maribel Garcia, staff member of the Great Officiants, expressed joy about the service the company is offering.
“It just makes my heart feel happy, especially because I have a gay brother, and so that kind of resonates with me,” she said Tuesday in a phone interview. “Just the fact that I work with some guy that wants to give weddings for people, it makes me proud that I work for such a great company.”
Sheila Guzman echoed her fellow staff member’s thoughts, adding that, “We’re just excited that we can offer that service for those couples who do feel their rights might be taken away.”
Katz said he likes seeing the joy in a couple’s eyes as they are getting married when they didn’t think it was possible, but now, he said, it will be the joy in their eyes knowing that they are able to protect themselves.
The officiant offered advice to couples looking to tie the knot in the midst of instability.
“I would say never stop loving the person you want to love,” he said. “No matter what happens, they can never take that away from you. But, do what you feel is most important in your relationship […] Don’t rush into it. Don’t make a mistake. Do it when you feel you are most comfortable. Don’t let this sort of Damocles that’s hanging over your head force you into something you don’t want to do. Do it for the right reason.”
He also encouraged couples to not be afraid of uncertainty.
“There’s always a concern when the unknown is going to happen,” Katz said. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen. That’s where the concern lies— in the uncertainty. That’s where the scary part is, and that’s the part people are losing sleep over— not knowing whether they are going to lose their rights or not. I don’t know the answer to that. I’m not a political person. But I know the people that I am talking to are genuinely scared that they might. And, if they are, I want to provide a place where they can come to and know that we can honor them and take care of them.”
The company offers different wedding types, including beach, religious and non-religious, themed and vow-renewal ceremonies, among others. Free parking will be located on-site during weddings. Couples who have a marriage license can bring it in and have it signed for free, Katz said. Couples can file for a marriage license at the chapel’s office for a fee at greatofficiants.com. For more information, call the Great Officiants at (562) 435-4000 or email info@greatofficiants.com. Those interested may also visit cutelittleweddingchapel.com.
