By Admin1 (admin) on Friday, July 11, 2003 - 11:25 am: Edit Post |
Ethiopia RPCV Gregory Krzyminski finds irony in conservative viewpoint on gay marriage
Ethiopia RPCV Gregory Krzyminski finds irony in conservative viewpoint on gay marriage
Couple finds irony in conservative viewpoint
Surrounded by family and friends, Raymond Konz and Gregory Krzyminski will celebrate their 20-year relationship Saturday in a "blessing ceremony" conducted by Fredric Hang of Milwaukee.
The two will exchange wedding vows Saturday at Milwaukee's Wisconsin Club.
"It's ironic that the people who talk the most about family values are the ones who would oppose this," said Krzyminski about conservatives who have problems with same-sex marriages. "I've never understood how love can hurt society. Hate can, but love can't. Love just makes society better.
"It's time for us to allow our family and friends to show how they support our relationship."
Krzyminski, retiring June 27 from Mid-State Technical College, started work there in August 1987 as an instructor in the food services, lodging and tourism management program. When not busy at the college, he often appeared on stage as a Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre actor.
A Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia, Krzyminski earned degrees from Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, then worked as a chef throughout the Midwest.
Konz, a U.S. Navy veteran, worked 23 years in the hospitality industry, including gourmet restaurants in Wisconsin and Florida. He works as a clinical social worker at the Clement J. Zablocki U.S. Veterans Administration Medical Center, Milwaukee.
He is a charter member of the Galano Club, a Milwaukee recovery group for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered.
The couple met in 1983 through a mutual friend at Milwaukee's Pfister Hotel. "The couple will use a hyphenated combination of their surnames - Konz-Krzyminski - for social purposes," according to an announcement about their ceremony.
After a 10-day New Mexico honeymoon, they will live in Milwaukee.