Listen: What marriage means for one Alaska same-sex couple

Kelli Burkinshaw (front) and Megan Ahleman paddling in Berner’s Bay this past fall. (Photo courtesy Kelli Burkinshaw)
Kelli Burkinshaw (front) and Megan Ahleman paddling in Berner’s Bay this past fall. (Photo courtesy Kelli Burkinshaw)

Since same-sex marriage became legal in Alaska, of the roughly 480 marriage license applications in the state, about 20 percent are from same-sex couples.

One of those couples is former KTOO employee Kelli Burkinshaw and her partner Megan Ahleman. They’re getting married tomorrow in Juneau.

The two had talked about marriage before, but they didn’t get engaged until a federal judge decided October 12 that Alaska’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional. It was important they marry in a state that meant something to both of them.

Megan and Kelli had a conversation at KTOO last Sunday about their relationship and getting married. In the tradition of StoryCorps, here’s an excerpt of their conversation:

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