Ding Dong the bells are gonna chime!!
Went to a wedding after work today, in Oakland. Actually, I went to 18 weddings.
I walked over to City Hall, climbed up steep marble stairs under a light fixture that looked like a freakin' giant disco ball (surrounded by bas-reliefs of naked people in bronze), and went into the chamber gallery with the other excited history-observers.
The legal right to perform marriages of same-sex couples officially began at 5:01pm PST on Monday, June 16, 2008, but the Oakland ceremony was set for 6pm. After a good deal of delays (don't want to mis-sign such an important document), the ceremonies finally took place around 6:45. The first legal gay and lesbian couples were joined in the city.
Mayor Dellums presided, accompanied by Oakland Congress representative Barbara Lee.
The atmosphere was like the most joyful and glorious graduation ceremony imaginable -- whoops and cheers greeted the procession of couples, each individual couple (and their families) stepping forward to exchange the vows, Mayor Dellums' first use of the phrase "I declare you legally married by the laws of the state of California," and the various responses by the couples to the vows.
"I do."
"Yes, sir, I do."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"I did before, I do now, I will forever."
"Forever and ever."
A Jewish gay couple brought an empty plastic water bottle so one of them could stomp it at the end (to whoops of "Mazel Tov!" and their families clapping and singing a Hebrew wedding song).
One guy broke down completely during the vows (he was still teary half an hour later).
Lots of kids, adopted or otherwise; entire families were legally joined, not just couples.
One lesbian couple, both Chinese, wore gorgeous red and white embroidered silk tops. (But the best part was the beaming ancient couple practically propping each other up during the ceremony -- clearly the parents of one of them, overjoyed to finally see their daughter get married.)
One otherwise soberly-dressed middle-aged gay couple ended their first wedded kiss by pulling out neon pink and green fluffy fans.
The lesbian couple in their 70s were probably the highlight of the evening. It also pointed out the absurdity of the anti-marriage arguments: here were these two gorgeous, dignified black women taking vows they'd been keeping all along for the past 40 years anyway.
I headed home after the last couple had been joined and before they could start cutting cake. Work tomorrow. But certainly a Monday to remember.
I walked over to City Hall, climbed up steep marble stairs under a light fixture that looked like a freakin' giant disco ball (surrounded by bas-reliefs of naked people in bronze), and went into the chamber gallery with the other excited history-observers.
The legal right to perform marriages of same-sex couples officially began at 5:01pm PST on Monday, June 16, 2008, but the Oakland ceremony was set for 6pm. After a good deal of delays (don't want to mis-sign such an important document), the ceremonies finally took place around 6:45. The first legal gay and lesbian couples were joined in the city.
Mayor Dellums presided, accompanied by Oakland Congress representative Barbara Lee.
The atmosphere was like the most joyful and glorious graduation ceremony imaginable -- whoops and cheers greeted the procession of couples, each individual couple (and their families) stepping forward to exchange the vows, Mayor Dellums' first use of the phrase "I declare you legally married by the laws of the state of California," and the various responses by the couples to the vows.
"I do."
"Yes, sir, I do."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"I did before, I do now, I will forever."
"Forever and ever."
A Jewish gay couple brought an empty plastic water bottle so one of them could stomp it at the end (to whoops of "Mazel Tov!" and their families clapping and singing a Hebrew wedding song).
One guy broke down completely during the vows (he was still teary half an hour later).
Lots of kids, adopted or otherwise; entire families were legally joined, not just couples.
One lesbian couple, both Chinese, wore gorgeous red and white embroidered silk tops. (But the best part was the beaming ancient couple practically propping each other up during the ceremony -- clearly the parents of one of them, overjoyed to finally see their daughter get married.)
One otherwise soberly-dressed middle-aged gay couple ended their first wedded kiss by pulling out neon pink and green fluffy fans.
The lesbian couple in their 70s were probably the highlight of the evening. It also pointed out the absurdity of the anti-marriage arguments: here were these two gorgeous, dignified black women taking vows they'd been keeping all along for the past 40 years anyway.
I headed home after the last couple had been joined and before they could start cutting cake. Work tomorrow. But certainly a Monday to remember.