Ben & Jerry's Stand Up for Gay Marriage

Ben & Jerry’s celebrated the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry in Washington, D.C., with a wedding and reception for local couple Keith Spangler-Vellios and Andreas Vellios at the Georgetown Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop.

Ben & Jerry’s cofounder Jerry Greenfield, D.C. councilmember and sponsor of the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009 David Catania, Freedom to Marry director of new media Michael Crawford, and friends and family celebrated the couple’s vows with a wedding ice cream cake and ceremonial traditions.

Following the symbolic renaming of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor “Chubby Hubby” to “Hubby Hubby” in September 2009 to celebrate the legalization of gay and lesbian marriages in its home state of Vermont, the company continues to demonstrate its commitment to social justice, including gay rights and its partnership with the nonprofit Freedom to Marry, the leading campaign to win marriage nationwide.

“Equal rights and treatment for all people was a founding principle of Ben & Jerry’s when we started the company over 30 years ago,” Greenfield says. “We are proud that the District of Columbia is recognizing the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry and are happy to celebrate the milestone with an ice cream wedding cake and best wishes for the happy couple.”