Winnipeg Free Press Nearly 50 years later, marriage not recognized JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Chris Vogel, left, and Richard North were married in a Unitarian church in 1974, decades before Manitoba eventually legalized gay marriage in 2004. It’s been almost 50 years since Richard North and Chris Vogel were married, surrounded by friends and family, in a Winnipeg church. It’s been almost 50 years since Richard North and Chris Vogel were married, surrounded by friends and family, in a Winnipeg church. However, the couple is still waiting on the courts to have their union recognized by the province. Vogel and North were married in a Unitarian church in 1974, decades before Manitoba eventually legalized gay marriage in 2004.