keith rinehard and charles perez (right)
Miami, FL -
Fired gay anchorman Charles Perez will marry his boyfriend in Connecticut, the Miami Herald reported.
Perez and Miami accountant Keith Rinehard said they are moving out of Florida to Connecticut and will wed on September 27.
"We just want to be normal and not work in places where they say 'Don't have kids, don't get married'," Perez said.
Perez, 46, was referring to his very public battle with his former employer, Miami ABC affiliate WPLG channel 10, where he anchored the station's newscast. Station executives fired him last month after he filed a discrimination complaint with the Miami-Dade's Equal Opportunity Board. (Full Story) In the complaint, Perez argues that the broadcaster fired him because his sexual orientation became too public when the details of a domestic violence complaint against an ex-partner became front page fodder. (Full Story)
"[Executives] don't want to do anything that would make an advertiser see you as less family friendly," He told gay weekly Edge Boston. "Though they will never say 'We need to get rid of the gay guy,' they will say 'We need to go a different direction here.'"
The couple began dating earlier in the year, and Perez said he will take his husband's last name.
"On Friday, the 25th, we're going to Westport, Connecticut. Saturday we're going house shopping. And Sunday we're getting married on the beach – in linen and flip-flops," Perez said.
"We found each other and it's meant to be," Rinehart, 41, said. "Friends say it's quite a road we've had to cover. I don't look at it like that. We're a great team."
Perez and Miami accountant Keith Rinehard said they are moving out of Florida to Connecticut and will wed on September 27.
"We just want to be normal and not work in places where they say 'Don't have kids, don't get married'," Perez said.
Perez, 46, was referring to his very public battle with his former employer, Miami ABC affiliate WPLG channel 10, where he anchored the station's newscast. Station executives fired him last month after he filed a discrimination complaint with the Miami-Dade's Equal Opportunity Board. (Full Story) In the complaint, Perez argues that the broadcaster fired him because his sexual orientation became too public when the details of a domestic violence complaint against an ex-partner became front page fodder. (Full Story)
"[Executives] don't want to do anything that would make an advertiser see you as less family friendly," He told gay weekly Edge Boston. "Though they will never say 'We need to get rid of the gay guy,' they will say 'We need to go a different direction here.'"
The couple began dating earlier in the year, and Perez said he will take his husband's last name.
"On Friday, the 25th, we're going to Westport, Connecticut. Saturday we're going house shopping. And Sunday we're getting married on the beach – in linen and flip-flops," Perez said.
"We found each other and it's meant to be," Rinehart, 41, said. "Friends say it's quite a road we've had to cover. I don't look at it like that. We're a great team."
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine
