POWERGRAMS

20 coal, sweep floors, paint rails – I didn't care. I was working for Alabama Power and I was very proud of that moment – still am." Growing up, Presnall was aware of societal prejudices. She became a student of history, visiting the Stonewall Inn on vacation. The New York City restaurant is known for its ban on serving alcohol to gay patrons in the late 1960s, which prompted the Stonewall Riots, followed by the nation's first gay pride parade in 1970. Alabama Gov. Fob James in 1996 banned same-sex marriage, a move followed by the Legislature in 1998. In the U.S., "anti-sodomy" laws long existed nationwide before being struck down by the Supreme Court in 2003. In 2004, Massachusetts legalized the marriage of same- sex couples. In 2006, Alabama voters approved by 81% a constitutional amendment outlawing what Massachusetts had approved. Nearly a decade later, the Supreme Court legalized all same-sex marriages, which Alabama politicians fought for another four years before allowing in 2019 – which some still are battling. The Census Bureau says there are about 1 million same-sex households nationally, of which about 60% are legally married. In Alabama, there are an estimated 10,000 same-sex unions, which is some 0.4% of marriages statewide. Nancy Henken- Presnall and her wife, Krista, are among those families in the minority. Unable to legally wed in Mobile in 2011, the Presnalls had their holy union blessed by a female minister, witnessed by more than 100 friends and family members. The couple headed to Provincetown, Massachusetts, where the Mayflower landed in 1620. Nancy's brother and his partner were witnesses for the Presnall's legal marriage ceremony. When Alabama allowed same- sex marriage certificates, Krista and Nancy hired Presnall has worked at Barry Steam Plant since 2008.

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