Sun Sentinel

By Dan Sweeney

January 20, 2015, 5:31 AM

Jeff and Todd Delmay had just gotten married – the first gay men in Florida to do so, in fact – and were in the midst of moving.

As they were juggling the packing, caring for their 4-year-old son, Blake, and the inundation of media calls, the phone rang. Again.

But this time it was their congresswoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, inviting them to attend President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night as her guests.

"It was really sweet of her to call herself," Todd said.

Jeff and Todd Delmay were among six same-sex couples who sued Miami-Dade County for the right to get married. The judge in their suit allowed same-sex marriage to go forward a day ahead of the rest of the state, and the Delmays were second in line to get married in Miami-Dade, right behind Cathy Pareto and Karla Arguello, another couple from the lawsuit.

The Delmays have a tight schedule. After they drop Blake off at a friend's home Tuesday morning, they take a plane to D.C., meet the congresswoman, hit a few locations in the capital, and get to the speech before its 9 p.m. start.

"It's just another part of the whirlwind, but a really great part," Todd said.

The Delmays have met the congresswoman before, but only briefly at rallies and events.

"She's been a great ally of the gay community for a long time, so to be able to have an opportunity to be with her and be able to thank her in person is really great," Todd said. "We hope that every same-sex family feels like we have them there with us in our heart. If kids can see their families represented in positive ways, it shows that their families deserve equal respect and treatment."

Despite the big night in D.C., the Delmays will return on the first flight out Wednesday morning.

"It's the only way we can get home in time to get Blake from school," Todd said.