Hitched!: Wedding Stories from San Francisco City Hall
On Thursday, February 12, 2004, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, a lesbian couple who have been together for fifty-one years, became the first same-sex couple married at San Francisco City Hall. By March 11, when the California State Supreme Court ordered a halt to the weddings, 4.037 gay and lesbian couples had tied the knot. These couples had traveled to San Francisco by bus and plane. They had called in sick to work and packed their kids and camping gear into the backs of their cars, and...
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On Thursday, February 12, 2004, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, a lesbian couple who have been together for fifty-one years, became the first same-sex couple married at San Francisco City Hall. By March 11, when the California State Supreme Court ordered a halt to the weddings, 4.037 gay and lesbian couples had tied the knot. These couples had traveled to San Francisco by bus and plane. They had called in sick to work and packed their kids and camping gear into the backs of their cars, and headed to City Hall. They had stood in line through high wind and torrential rain, all for a chance to have their relationships legally recognized. Each couple has a unique story to tell.While the media have focused on political aspects of the ongoing marriage debate, interviewing pundits and average citizens on both sides of the issue, by and large the lives of the newlyweds—their rich, diverse, and vibrant personal histories—have remained invisible. Hitched! Wedding Stories from San Francisco City Hall introduces readers to the determined, brave, and loving couples who took center stage during the historical events at City Hall. Kirkus Reviews Personal accounts from people who took advantage of the brief moment when San Francisco gave its blessing to same-sex marriages, gathered by editor/participant Dumesnil. "Love is love," writes one 18-year-old activist, and the city government agreed on Feb. 12, 2004, when it saw fit to begin wedding gays and lesbians. (The community's outrage over George W. Bush's State of the Union address, which included the suggestion of a Constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage, played a role as well.) More than 30 of those involved testify here to their religious and political views, celebrating the month-long opportunity to partake in the act of marriage. There are some great first lines ("I was pregnant when my wife Tracie and I got married"), and all the contributions have a lovely, soft everydayness as they explain who these couples are and trace the histories of their relationships. Most of those who chose to avail themselves of the marriage window were involved in long-term partnerships; many had already enacted their own form of marriage; none needed sanction from a civil authority to attest to their affection. "We first moved in together into an apartment in the Castro (way before it went gay) on Valentine's Day in 1953," write Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, the first to make their vows on Feb. 12 and one of two couples included in this text who have been together for more than half a century. Yet those whose bond is of shorter duration evince no less fire. When the California Supreme Court nullified the marriages six months later, no one's passion was extinguished, but political hackles were raised anew. "Justly married," read a placard in the post-euphoria days. "What if theystopped your wedding?"Moving, big-hearted affirmations of everyone's right to marriage.
\ From Barnes & NobleOn February 12, 2004, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, who have been together for over half a century, became the first same-sex couple married at San Francisco City Hall. Their wedding vows began a rush to the altar. In the next month, before the California Supreme Court put a stop to the nuptials, more than 4,000 gay and lesbian couples tied the knot at SF's City Hall. Hitched! adds human dimension to these historic weeks.\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsPersonal accounts from people who took advantage of the brief moment when San Francisco gave its blessing to same-sex marriages, gathered by editor/participant Dumesnil. "Love is love," writes one 18-year-old activist, and the city government agreed on Feb. 12, 2004, when it saw fit to begin wedding gays and lesbians. (The community's outrage over George W. Bush's State of the Union address, which included the suggestion of a Constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage, played a role as well.) More than 30 of those involved testify here to their religious and political views, celebrating the month-long opportunity to partake in the act of marriage. There are some great first lines ("I was pregnant when my wife Tracie and I got married"), and all the contributions have a lovely, soft everydayness as they explain who these couples are and trace the histories of their relationships. Most of those who chose to avail themselves of the marriage window were involved in long-term partnerships; many had already enacted their own form of marriage; none needed sanction from a civil authority to attest to their affection. "We first moved in together into an apartment in the Castro (way before it went gay) on Valentine's Day in 1953," write Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, the first to make their vows on Feb. 12 and one of two couples included in this text who have been together for more than half a century. Yet those whose bond is of shorter duration evince no less fire. When the California Supreme Court nullified the marriages six months later, no one's passion was extinguished, but political hackles were raised anew. "Justly married," read a placard in the post-euphoria days. "What if theystopped your wedding?"Moving, big-hearted affirmations of everyone's right to marriage.\ \
