Jefferson Starship singer Cathy Richardson stands up for the right of same-sex couples to wed (after Proposition 8 passes)

Rock musician Cathy Richardson and her spouse Rachel Rose Regan have vowed not only "to have and to hold as long as love shall last," but also to "stand up for the right of same-sex couples to wed."

Richardson and Regan were married in a private ceremony above Napa, CA on October 29, 2008. Universalist Minister KK Ledford officiated the sunrise ceremony in a hot air balloon over Napa Valley, witnessed by a small group of family and friends.

Singer-Songwriter Richardson is best known for her starring role as Janis Joplin in the original off-Broadway, Chicago, San Francisco and Arizona casts of Love, Janis. This year, she became lead singer and released an album with the legendary rock band Jefferson Starship, who she met in 2007 on tour singing with Janis Joplin's original band, Big Brother and the Holding Company.

Richardson is a regular on the popular music education television series, Jack's Big Music Show (Noggin) and was a nominated for a GRAMMY in 2004 for her self-released album, the Road to Bliss (Cash Rich Records). Ms. Regan heads the couple's clothing line, Shining Shakti, which specializes in hand-dyed, organic cotton yoga apparel. The couple met and fell in love two years ago when Regan was working as an ad exec for the San Francisco production of Love, Janis.

Richardson and Regan were able to legally marry just days before the November 2008 election where the controversial Proposition 8 was on the California ballot to "eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry." While Proposition 8 passed by a slim margin, the couple's legal marriage remains intact and Richardson says they are "determined to continue to stand up for the right of same-sex couples to enjoy the same legal and societal benefits of civil marriage afforded to heterosexuals."

The couple was recently spotlighted in the British newspaper The Telegraph in a story about the Proposition 8 vote.

Cathy Richardson Official Website

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