16 June 2008

30 minutes of legal gay marriages in CA, and the sky hasn't fallen yet

For about half an hour now, gay couples have been marrying in California. Tenured Radical's post on the subject notes that the first gay couple married in San Fransisco will be Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. After 50 years together, they'll be honest women. I'm impatiently clicking on west coast newspaper sites looking for photographs. Several organizations are going to be photographing weddings--look for lots of good shots to be appearing at Bilerico as the week unfolds. Bil's post at Bilerico points to streaming video from San Francisco.

Politica is reading aloud from a newspaper article quoting the website of the W.e.s.t.boro B.a.p.t.i.s.t Church. The church members are planning to travel to California to protest, using bullhorns, to shout anti-gay slurs during wedding ceremonies.

I'm sitting here feeling giddy with anticipation of the news coverage of the weddings, though. For all that Politica and I viewed our original Quaker wedding as the one with the significance, and our Vermont civil union as a political gesture, I am so moved at the thought of government recognition of relationships like mine. So moved I can't even figure out a good way to wrap up this post, which I must end now to watch the video Politica just brought up on her computer.

9 comments:

Heather said...

My husband's cousin was married this weekend in California, and they made a statement during the ceremony about how happy they were to be getting married just as the state was making marriage more inclusive. It is an exciting day!

jo(e) said...

I felt teary-eyed reading some of the coverage.

Finally!

But we still have so far to go ....

Arwen said...

Congratulations to all the couples in CA! That's so fabulous.

Arwen said...

As to plans for homophobic protesting? I don't understand how those folks aren't embarrassed to be near themselves.

Bardiac said...

I just wish my state would open up!

And I hope California doesn't take steps backwards in November!

Leslie M-B said...

I'm relieved (and delighted!) that the privilege I've been accorded as a straight married woman in CA is now a right extended to all couples.

It's about damn time.

Liz Miller said...

I am so ashamed of the state where I live for having gone in the opposite direction. May we soon live in a nation where all men and women can marry whomever they want.

Tom Bozzo said...

What Liz said. Meanwhile, that NYT story from the weekend to the effect of 'gay married couples have ups, downs' must take the Dog Bites Man award.

winterskeeper said...

Writing from the Bay Area, I can tell you there is WAY more positive reaction to the newest weddings then there is negative. Perhaps I may be wearing my rose-coloured glasses, but I suspect there is nothing to worry about come November. My state has let me down before, but we're still MOSTLY blue (despite the best efforts of a few intolerant, loud-mouthed, hate-filled, ignorant, narrow-minded a-holes. Too harsh? Nah!)