Ms. Pancochova, a three-time Olympic snowboarder from the Czech Republic, was in the United States training and Ms. Barley, an American, had flown in from Portland, Ore., to visit her. With the United States and Czech borders mutually closed to each other, the women briefly considered walking down the aisle.
“For Sarka to get her green card and not worry about if she’s going to be able to come into the States or not because of Covid — it was definitely on the mind,” said Ms. Barley of the potential benefits of getting married.
Yet Ms. Pancochova has publicly pledged to abstain from marrying — in any country — until the Czech Republic legalizes gay marriage. A marriage-equality bill has been languishing in Parliament since June…