California & same sex marriage is legal now

Guest · Posted Mon Jun 16, 2008

Soooo hot

SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- California officials began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Monday evening after a state Supreme Court ruling legalizing the ceremonies took effect.
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Phyllis Lyon, right, kisses Del Martin after being married by Mayor Gavin Newsom in San Francisco on Monday.
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The May 15 ruling took effect at 5:01 p.m. (8:01 p.m. ET) Monday. Gay and lesbian couples had lined up for hours outside county clerk's offices in anticipation of the decision coming into force.

Lesbian rights activists Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 84, were the first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license in San Francisco on Monday, with Mayor Gavin Newsom presiding over their wedding ceremony.

"This is an extraordinary moment in history," Newsom told a cheering, standing-room-only crowd at City Hall. "I think today, marriage as an institution has been strengthened."

The high-profile mayor heated up the debate on same-sex marriages in February 2004, when he ordered city officials to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Martin and Lyon were the first to exchange wedding vows after the order, only to see the ceremony voided later. iReport.com: Share your feelings, photos and videos

"I think it's a wonderful day and I have to thank our mayor for most of it," Lyon said. "I'm very happy and very grateful for all of you."

Clerks expect a much larger number of couples to show up Tuesday morning to complete marriage-license applications that replace "Bride" and "Groom" with "Partner A" and "Partner B."

The decision makes California the nation's second state, after Massachusetts, to legalize same-sex marriage. Four other states allow civil unions.
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Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, one of the first couples to obtain a marriage license Monday evening, rushed outside the courthouse in Beverly Hills for their Jewish wedding ceremony. There, they were greeted by a crowd of family, friends, supporters -- and a few opponents protesting the same-sex marriages with signs reading "repent."

"It's not about us," Tyler said. "It's about the entire movement that helped make this day possible."

Critics of the ruling have talked about staging protests against same-sex marriages this week.

Opponents say they've collected enough signatures to call for a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and woman. The California secretary of state must verify the signatures before a November vote can be held on the proposed amendment.

Though the law affects only California, it has national implications. "Because we're in a presidential campaign right now, it's going to be a real flash point for the electorate to come together and say this really matters to us," said Charmaine Yoest of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group based in Washington that opposes gay marriage.

Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, issued a statement on behalf of seven bishops Monday, saying the Catholic Church "cannot approve of redefining marriage."

Marriage "has a unique place in God's creation, joining a man and a woman in a committed relationship in order to nurture and support the new life for which marriage is intended," the statement said. "The meaning of marriage is deeply rooted in history and culture, and has been shaped considerably by Christian tradition. Its meaning is given, not constructed."
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Newsom said the issue "is about civil marriages, not about religious marriages. ... We're not telling religious institutions what to do. They can continue to do what they've done."

In the May 15 ruling, the California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. The ruling surprised legal experts because the court has a conservative reputation. Six of its seven judges are Republican appointees.
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/16/samesex.marriage/index.html

eyOjuiCy · Supreme Member Joined: 02 Jun 2008 Posts: 1441

oh god noooooooo !

Shocked

Señor Doc · Guest

Whoa...when I think of lesbians I usually think of hot ones, but the granny lesbos kind of ruined it for me. Reality sucks.

ChiLlaXiN · Member Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 211

Fukin smashing! Like Cali's not fucked up enough, now they're letting these fags and dikes have it their way and become "accepted into society." Fuckin Schwarzfag has fucked up yet again. Mad

V8 in the shallows · Guest

Kiso · Supreme Member Joined: 02 Jun 2008 Posts: 312

aint that some shit 0_o
ellen de...whatever her name is.'s wife is hottt
i dont know why..but i had the urge to say that Smile

DOC · Guest

Who this lesbo?

Kiso · Supreme Member Joined: 02 Jun 2008 Posts: 312

yup..thats her

DOC · Guest

That skank Ellen is a manly lesbo. That's expected.

V8 ilk · Guest

Kiso · Supreme Member Joined: 02 Jun 2008 Posts: 312

nope..im pretty sure theyre still together
they were at the day time emmys together yesterday
ellen even gave her a peck as she was going up to accept her award..which i believe was a fix btw.