NICK CANN

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE BLESSING OF THE UNION OF STAN SCHOBERT AND CAL WILSON (1976)
Pen & ink on paper
37 x 37 cm
 
 
 
 
 
This remarkable drawing was commissioned from the California-born illustrator Nick Caan in 1975, as an invitation to an exceptional religious ceremony: almost forty years before same-sex marriage became legal across the U.S.A., Cal Wilson and Stan Schobert declared their love for each other 'in the eyes of God' at St Aidan's Episcopal Church. By chance, the event was covered by ABC Channel 7 the following year, as part of a four-part feature on LGBTQ life in San Francisco called 'Bay Gays'. The transcript for this section of the episode reads as follows:
 
 
 
COUPLES: FINDING A PLACE IN GAY LIFE
 
You're watching pictures of a religious ceremony sanctifying a homosexual relationship. It was performed at St. Aiden's Episcopal Church in San Francisco. That is the closest to people of the same sex can get to legal marriage by taking these vows Stan Schobert and Cal Wilson are making a solemn commitment to each other. They're making public their homosexuality their love for each other and their determination to share their lives. 
 
"But I think most gay people do not believe in the institution of marriage except as an encumbering thing because we have a view that our relationship has a very much more voluntary quality to them. We stay together because we want to stay together. In a sense there's a kind of rejection of the fact that we're forced to stay together. In that sense I've always thought that we have a lot to teach the non-gay community about relationships because we have to really want to stay together, to stay together. And in fact, most gay people do have a significant other person in their lives. Most of the time," said David Goodstein, publisher of the Advocate.
 
If having a significant other person is the rule. Stan and Carl are the exception. They have each other and at least for now that's all they need and all they want and when Stan comes home from work, "My first thought is that I'm really glad to see Cal. It's been eight hours. And. It's nice to know that there's someone there waiting when I get home. It's also nice to know that I have someone to come home to, and to share the evening with, to share the day with, the things that have gone on at work. What we're going to do tomorrow?" said Stan Schobert.
 
 
Stan and Cal are in their late twenties, and they've known each other about a year. I wondered if that's long enough as a foundation for a marriage. They don't legally need. "How does anyone know each other well enough to make a step like we have? It takes, a lifetime to get to know someone well, and even then do you really know that person. We would like to try that together to get to know each other and to grow together be open for change, to be able to learn how to communicate well, these things are a very important part of any relationship, whether it's between a man and woman or two women two men or even a business partnership for that matter. You have to be able to communicate and grow together and share," said Schobert. [1]