Gay Marriage Is Legal In California
Lesbian Couple's Long-Awaited Day Arrives; Partners For More Than 50 Years Say "I Do"
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Del Martin, 87, center left, and Phyllis Lyon, 84, center right, are married by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom , center, in a special ceremony at City Hall in San Francisco, Monday, June 16, 2008. Also pictured are the couple's witnesses, Roberta Achtenberg, left, and Donna Hitchens. Lyon and Martin became the first officially married same sex couple after California's Supreme Court declared gay marriage legal. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, Pool) (AP PHOTO)
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Phyllis Lyon, left, and Del Martin live in the same San Francisco house they bought in 1956, do not get out much now. Although they plan to briefly greet well-wishers at San Francisco City Hall after the ceremony, they are having a private reception for friends and family. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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Play CBS Video Video Calif. Gay Marriage Gold Rush California will start marrying same-sex couples today after its highest court ruled in favor of it. John Blackstone reports on the new California gold rush.
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Video Will Calif. Ban Gay Marriage? Gay couples who are planning to get married in California wonder how long the opportunity will be available. Californians will soon vote on whether to ban same-sex marriages. John Blackstone reports.
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Interactive Same-Sex Marriage Debate State-by-state coverage, opinions, history, photos and a look at the amendment process.
At least five county clerks around the state extended their hours to issue marriage licenses, and many same-sex couples got married on the spot.
"These are not folks who just met each other last week and said, `Let's get married.' These are folks who have been together in some cases for decades," said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. "They are married in their hearts and minds, but they have never been able to have that experience of community and common humanity."
The really big rush to the altar in the nation's most populous state was not expected to take place until Tuesday, which is when most counties planned to start issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of couples from around the country are expected to seize the opportunity to make their unions official in the eyes of the law.
More than 1 million Californians signed an amendment to ban same-sex marriage, but between now and then, the state is bracing for a rush to wed, CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports.
Local officials are now required to issue licenses that have the words "Party A" and "Party B" where "bride" and "groom" used to be.
In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom, who helped launch the series of lawsuits that led the court to strike down California's one-man-one-woman marriage laws, presided at the wedding of lesbian rights activists Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 84.
Well-wishers cheered when they emerged outside Newsom's office after the ceremony.
Dozens of couples gathered outside the clerks offices in Alameda, Sonoma and Yolo counties, where hours were extended to accommodate gay couples who wanted to be among the first to marry.
Derek Norman, 23 and Robert Blaudow, 39, from Memphis, were in the Bay Area for a conference and decided to get married at the Alameda County clerk's office.
"We might wait a long time in Tennessee, so this is our chance," Blaudow said.
First in line to pick up a marriage license in Sonoma was Melanie Phoenix, 47, and Terry Robinson, 48, of Santa Rosa. They have been together for almost 26 years and plan to be wed in August.
"It's an historic occassion," Phoenix said. "I never believed it was really possible until Gavin Newsom took the first step in 2004."
A throng of well-wishers and news media surrounded a lesbian couple as they were married in a Jewish ceremony in front of the Beverly Hills courthouse.
The ceremony was broadcast live on three newscasts in Los Angeles.
The couple wept and pressed their foreheads together, and onlookers whooped as the marriage became valid.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 643 CommentsWho gets the house?
Who gets the kids?
Who gets the expensive china? And who gets Fifi the dog?
"And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
(Micah 6:8)
AS I read in the comment sections I saw alot of pros and against. The Pros do not and will not understand so why even bother with them. They aren''t arguing with us, they are arguing with God himself. Remember Noah and Lot? And so it will be just in the days of Noah and Lot. Look what happened to Madilyn O''hare after she displayed her arrogance all over America to change the laws to what they are today. We all know what happens in the end and who wins, sadly it will be too late for alot of people. Your right it does affect us badly but in the end we will be unaffected.
Watch what happens now that the party has begun. Things are moving right along......
Posted by Credibility2 at 04:02 PM
No confusion here. It''s positively, simply, crystal-clear that you''re a bigot.
Certainly nothing new there.
AS I read in the comment sections I saw alot of pros and against. The Pros do not and will not understand so why even bother with them. They aren''t arguing with us, they are arguing with God himself. Remember Noah and Lot? And so it will be just in the days of Noah and Lot. Look what happened to Madilyn O''hare after she displayed her arrogance all over America to change the laws to what they are today. We all know what happens in the end and who wins, sadly it will be too late for alot of people. Your right it does affect us badly but in the end we will be unaffected.
Watch what happens now that the party has begun. Things are moving right along......
Posted by hungry1968
you just biblically ignorant I must say. i know you think religion is the cause of all the worlds problem, but you''re sadly mistaken. A good God fearing church is not out to get your money and at the same token you have weed out the imposters who use God for ill gotten gains. Those people will always be exposed. You seem to think that everyone who claims to be religious is doing God''s work. Just like cult leader claim to be, but their intentions are to mislead and they follow their own agendas not God''s agenda. You don''t know God or believe in him for that matter so to you assume that all religions are on the same accord and that is the furthest thing from the truth. You have religion that worship many gods, religions that preach hate, etc. The Bible warns us not to be taken in by false teachings, doctrines, or false prophets. The more you read and study the more you know the difference if it''s God''s word or if it word of that man like the nut down in Texas claiming nuclear war on the 12th and had his followers buying all sorts of products from a company he owns. One reason you give to the church is to keep the word going. if we didn''t it couldn''t be spread throughtout the world.
IF you really feel that way.
Posted by hungry1968
and that will solve what?
Posted by hungry1968
so what does man do for the greater good? we can''t even erradicate poverty or famine just to name a few. too busy trying fill our pockets with money.
It was almost ALWAYS religion. Especially when it comes to the ultra-bizarre zionists (jews and christians) that think it'''' perfectly acceptable to kill in god''''s name, as long as it brings about the rapture.
Posted by hungry1968
it''s not the jew or christians who are trying to bring about the rapture. it''s the muslim who are trying to hasten the coming of Mohamed with terrorism. don''t get it twisted. that being said, just because religion is behind some wars as you claim, doesn''t mean those religions are following the Almight God either. And it''s biblical prophecy that Israel will be the center of the worlds attention in this last days and times. alot of the surrounding countries will make war with them here shortly, but that''s another subject.
Posted by hungry1968
a failed political system created by man. nothing works without God. and i''m talking about for the good of humanity. all man do is follow after the own hearts, lusts, interests, etc... and that is what has this country the shape it is now. this country worships the almighty dollar and not the Almighty God. And mankind has the audacity to say to God, "we got this down here". we sure do. we got high gas prices, high food prices, people loosing homes, violence in schools, abortion, senseless killings, disobedient kids, drugs, disease, corruption, greed, poverty, genocide, famine, war, etc etc etc... yeah we can handle it alright.
Posted by hungry1968 at 02:28 PM : Jun 17, 2008
These religious conservatives who have found haven in the Republican Party and helped Bush claim the presidency twice should be hammered justly for the damage and destruction of the last 7 years. As constituents in a democratic system of government, they perform no value. Their loyalty is to their beliefs, not the greater common good. In large numbers, they will push this democracy off of its foundations.
Posted by hungry1968 at 02:28 PM : Jun 17, 2008
I never voted for Carter!
World peace.
Posted by hungry1968
your sadly mistaken. no God no peace. the more we remove God from society the chaos comes in. and it''s naive to think that only christians or religious people as you say are they only ones against same *** anything. we will never see peace here and that''s a fact because man doesn''t know how to achieve it.
Posted by hungry1968
and you continue to find ways to blame a God you dont'' think exist.
Posted by jon2012
again, put your trust mankind and see where it leads you. there is no God here. so when bad things happen who do you blame? and you and others like you can fix your mouth to blaspheme, curse, mock, and blame a God you don''t think exist. Then it''s oh my God, why God let this happen, Why did God take my child, mom, dad, father, etc..away, but why blame and mock something that you think doesn''t exist. Most of you will blame God instead of the one who actually caused the harm.
Posted by hungry1968
so again, man puts whoever in the white house. God didn''t put him there. And the arrogant mentality of Man in these days and times is that they don''t need God. According, you and others like you who don''t believe, everything is going perfectly fine here without Him. so therefore you can''t blame God. to you he doesn''t exist. so now who''s left to blame.
UNMUNIFICENT has left the building.
STATIC HISS
________
Let''s ban pork, mixed fibers, and shaving because it is explicitly deemed immoral in the Bible. If you really believe all of the BS you spew, than you should be railing against the pork industry and Gillette. Otherwise, you are merely being a hypocrite that is selectively choosing things out the Bible to beat people up with.
If you are so concerned about immorality, where is your outrage at people in this country guzzling down $10,000 bottles of fine Champaign, while we have people malnourished and unable to get desperately needed health care?
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