Registry
We’ve been living together for years and don’t need any dishware or fancy towels. We also recognize that attending the wedding is expensive enough for a lot of people, and we don’t need any financial gifts. In lieu of a traditional registry, we ask that you consider donating to a cause you care about or one of the causes we care about below.
And/or we would also welcome home-made gifts, sentimental letters and drawings, or anything special that reminds you of us. :)
WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION
Where would we be without Wikipedia? Certainly not the 21st century! Richard was an early adopter of Wikipedia after his childhood friend, Phil Deutsch, started working there in 2003. Since then, following the internal and external links on any given Wikipedia page has been the way that countless research projects have begun. Some people complain that anyone can put up anything on Wikipedia, but the truth is anyone can also delete anything on Wikipedia, and the website tracks all of those changes–possibly some day, over generations. Articles on Wikipedia are more rigorously peer-reviewed than many academic articles published in important journals nowadays. Richard says he’d be willing to bet a dollar each that every person coming to this wedding used Wikipedia to look up something to do with the wedding we’re celebrating. What exactly is couture? Is formal the same as black tie? What is white tie anyway? Why do they call it drag? When did wedding vows secularize? Where did these traditions come from, anyway? And that’s good! Learning never stops, and today is no exception. Help us support Wikipedia, one of the crowning achievements of humanity.
Organization for Transformative Works
The organization that owns and operates Archive of Our Own (AO3) represents one of the leading edges of artistic and intellectual freedom. While many people dismiss “fanfiction” as a hobby of the young at heart or the reclusive, it is in fact one of the most enormous genres of literature in all of human history. AO3 is a website for regular people to share their writing, on virtually any topic, totally free. AO3 enables feedback, brainstorming, and growth for new generations of writers and creatives. Carolyn has been an avid fanfiction reader since her early teenage years and strongly believes she wouldn’t be who she is today without it. AO3 is a place where people share their passions and creativity openly with the world, for nothing but the love of the game. It’s a place where people find joy and connection - much needed in these trying times! OTW also provides legal advocacy, runs an international, peer-reviewed journal and more, all in the support of preserving and advocating for fan culture. It’s humble work but it’s important.