Grammy Marriages Are Legal, Queen Latifah Was A Temporary Commissioner

The Grammy marriages officiated by Queen Latifah are legal, thanks to her temporary commissioner title given to her by the state of California. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were the talk of the 2014 Grammys with their four victories. They also provided the most controversial moment of the night, when 34 couples were legally married during the performance of their song “Same Love”.

Macklemore and Lewis are joined by Mary Lambert on the same sex hip hop anthem, “Same Love”. Lambert is a lesbian who, according to her blog, grew up in an abusive home where they attended a Pentecostal Church. In high school she began attending Mars Hill Church in Seattle where she said she felt accepted and loved the music and preaching. However, she becoming increasingly aware of her own desire to be with women and when she entered her first same sex relationship at 17, could no longer continue to feel that homosexuality was wrong. She left the church, but says she continued her relationship with God.

She wrote the hook to the song that is now being called the Grammy wedding song. The lyrics of the hook provide the background to the marriages performed by Queen Latifah at the Grammys.

And I can’t change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
I can’t change
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love

The 34 couples who were married at the 2014 Grammys included both homosexual and heterosexual marriages. Ryan Lewis’ sister Laura was also married during the ceremony to her boyfriend Alex. The historic event was largely applauded by the audience.

“We’re just very proud of what happened tonight,” Neil Portnow, CEO of The Recording Academy, said backstage, referring to the wedding. “I think it was as elegant and meaningful and powerful as we wanted it to be.”

Of course, it was well understood by Portnow, Queen Latifah, and Macklemore that the event would stir up conversation regarding same sex marriage. That was the point of the original recording of the song and the performance at the Grammys. And controversy it is bringing.

One well known Christian spoken word and hip-hop artist, Jackie Hill, begged to differ with the hook from the popular anthem. She tweeted on Sunday night:

Can’t change if you wanted to huh? Check this out Macklemore fans => http://t.co/z1wRbtlO7Q#Macklemore#SameLove#grammys

— Jackie Hill (@JackieEHill) January 27, 2014

Jackie Hill is a former lesbian “stud”, the more masculine partner, who became a Christian and says her pursuit of female relationships was because she didn’t understand what she really wanted was God. Hill was not the only one opposed to the “Same Love” song choice.

FoxNews reported on the controversial event.

“Why can’t the event just be about the music? So tired of political and social messages being infused into everything,” one tweeted. Others referred to it as “anti-Christian” and “propaganda,” while another weighed in: “I don’t care if they are gay or straight this is wrong. Quit shoving your leftist agenda down my throat. Enough is enough.”

But Neil Portnow says the controversy is part of the plan. They wanted people to talk about the issue of same sex marriage. “I expect that people with all kinds of opinions might voice them, and that’s healthy.”

So what did you think of “Same Love” and the Grammy marriages on Sunday night?