Love exile on the road

Marriage Equality Express at the US Capital Grounds in 2004 (© Flickr/Elvert Barnes)

Martha McDevitt-Pugh married her Dutch partner soon after the Netherlands legalised same-sex marriage in 2001. They settled in Amsterdam because the United States does not recognise their union. And Martha started a support group called Love Exiles.

In October 2004, Martha traveled nearly 9,000 kilometres from Amsterdam to San Francisco to join the Marriage Equality Express, a caravan of some forty activists, supporters and friends. They crossed the heartland of America on their way to a rally in Washington D.C., stopping along the way to talk about same-sex marriage and immigration equality issues. “Love Exile on the Road” is an audio diary of Martha’s fascinating eight-day journey.

Producer: David Swatling

Broadcast: January 1, 2004