Babylonia Aivaz, from Seattle, fell in love with an old warehouse where she and other activists protested inside the building, during an Occupy Seattle event. Now, the 107-year-old facility has been scheduled for demolition, so Aivaz decided to marry it to show her love, and hopefully save it.
It sounds like a pretty bizarre situation, especially after you read all the jokes and comments by various media outlets, regarding Babylonia Aivaz’s decision to marry a warehouse. Some joke about the awkward wedding night, others about the solid foundation of their relationship, but the fact is she’s doing it as a form of protest against gentrification. ‘I’m doing this to show the building how much I love it, how much I love community space and how much I love this neighborhood. And I want to stop it from gentrification,’ Aivaz said in an interview. ‘If corporations can have the rights as people, so can buildings,’ she added, referencing a Supreme Court decision on political advertising.
Photo © Komo News
The unique wedding took place on Sunday, and drew about 30 attendees who watched Babylonia Aivaz tie the knot to her beloved warehouse. She said the building is actually a woman, which makes this a “gay marriage”. Believe it or not, members of the gay community found this remark insulting – “Okay, we gotta ask: Why is this like “gay marriage” (as she likes to call it)? Because, we’ll marry horses and dogs and oxen next? Why didn’t she take her loony idea about marrying a building and just call it marriage?” asked the staff of Instinct Magazine. The event itself had everything: music, snacks, wedding vows and, of course, the obligatory “I do’s”. Throughout the ceremony, Babylonia held a cardboard sign that read “Stop Gentrification”.
Sadly, it doesn’t look like this marriage is going to be long-lasting, as the old Seattle warehouse is still scheduled to be demolished in February.
via Komo News
