News & Commentary written by Scott and Rodney Moubray-Carrico

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Scott and Rodney Moubray-Carrico

Bio

Scott and Rodney Moubray-Carrico of New Albany have lived together in a committed relationship for 12 years. Rodney is General Manager of a hotel, and Scott manages a department store. In 2010, Scott and Rodney both changed their last names to Moubray-Carrico, a combination of their surnames, after experiencing challenges in being viewed as a family while enrolling their son in preschool. Because they cannot be married in Indiana, presenting themselves as a family to their son’s preschool caused confusion. They also hoped that changing their last names would contribute to their son’s self-esteem and sense of security by conveying the stability, permanence and family legitimacy that his peers enjoy simply by virtue of the fact that their parents are permitted to marry in Indiana.

Their six year-old son is beginning to understand the concept of marriage and its unequaled role in defining a family. He knows he and his parents are a family, but he does not understand why his friends’ parents are allowed to marry and his parents are not. He is stigmatized and his family is demeaned by the fact that his parents are excluded from marriage.

Scott and Rodney would like to be able to get married in Indiana because they are concerned that their son is being taught the message that his family is less deserving of respect and support than other families. They also want to have the legal protections married couples rely on.