100 Women We Love 2014

From professors, to musicians, to activists, we present to you 2014’s 100 Women We Love.

Kody Partridge and Laurie Wood

Since last June, when the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated DOMA, more than a dozen states have moved to legalize marriage equality. None was more unexpected than Utah. Three same-sex couples, including Salt Lake City residents Laurie Wood and Kody Partridge, challenged Utah´s ban on same-sex marriage in the lawsuit Kitchen v Herbert-and won. They married on December 20, 2013, immediately after Judge Robert Shelby ruled Utah´s marriage ban unconstitutional (marriages are currently on hold pending an appeal). It was perfect for both: Kody wore Chucks, and Laurie wore jeans. ″What made it possible to step up and be part of this case is circumstance. We have the luxury of job security, our families have come to their own terms with who we are, and being on the news isn´t going to change much,″ they say. ″We decided we could because so many couldn´t-not because they wouldn´t or didn´t want to, but because circumstances made their stepping up impossible. We are honored that we can do this for the people of Utah.″ Both self-identified ″English geeks,″ Partridge teaches at a private high school and works with students on projects like Habitat for Humanity, while Wood is an Associate Professor of English at Utah Valley University and a director of the Women´s Redrock Music Festival outside Capitol Reef National Park. -KL


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