(from MSNBC and the LA Times)
Robin Tyler, left, and Diane Olson rejoice after marrying in a Jewish ceremony on the steps of the Beverly Hills courthouse. (Luis Sinco, Los Angeles Times)
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were the first same-sex couple to wed after California’s Supreme Court declared gay marriage legal. (MSNBC)
Dozens of gay couples were married Monday after a historic ruling making California the second state to allow same-sex nuptials went into effect.
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 is not expected to take place until Tuesday, which is when most counties plan 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.
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. (In 1955, Martin and Lyon and six other lesbian women formed the Daughters of Bilitis, the first major lesbian organization in the United States.) 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 occasion,” 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.
Unlike Massachusetts, which legalized gay marriage in 2004, California has no residency requirement for marriage licenses, and that is expected to draw a great number of out-of-state couples. The turnout could also be boosted by New York state’s recent announcement that it will recognize gay marriages performed in other jurisdictions.
A UCLA study issued last week estimated that half of California’s more than 100,000 same-sex couples will get married over the next three years, and an additional 68,000 out-of-state couples will travel here to exchange vows. The study estimated that over that period, gay weddings will generate some 2,200 jobs and $64 million in badly needed tax revenue for the state, which is ailing financially.
Some of those out-of-state couples are likely to demand legal recognition in their home states, setting the stage for numerous court battles. However, some couples may wait to tie the knot because of a proposed constitutional amendment on the California ballot in November that would undo the Supreme Court ruling and ban gay marriage.
It’s time for a celebration, reunion, and just plain reminiscing. Herland is turning 25 and everyone is invited to help celebrate. Mark the date on your calendar: Saturday, October 4, 2008. Location: 2312 NW 39th, OKC. 
