California is now the second state in the Union to allow marriage for gay couples.
The ladies in the picture above are 84-year-old Phyllis Lyon and 87-year-old Del MartIn .
They're lesbians.
They met in 1953 and have been together ever since.
On Monday, the two were married in San Francisco; the first of many couples to tie the knot on the first day that the state allowed the ceremonies to go forward.
55 years together. Straight or gay, that is astounding.
When you think about it, these ladies had more pressures than most. They were together in a time before the Stonewall riots in New York City. They were together in a time before gay people were called gay. Most importantly, they were together in a time when simply being together was a crime in many parts of the country.
They built a life together against all odds.
The Liberty Council, a group that opposes marriage for gay couples, has responded to May's court ruling allowing the marriages to happen with a move to amend the California state constitution.
The measure will be on the November ballot that would change the constitution to "provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
It's a measure Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) said he doesn't support.
As I read the story of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, my journalistic instinct to remain silent on the subject went away.
As a society, we need to encourage and be respectful of loving relationships like these. They make our communities and, in turn, our country stronger.
Comments (1)
Thanks for the sentiment, Sean.
I live in California and in November I'm voting against this mean spirited proposition to constitutionally ban same sex marriage. Giving people full civil rights never hurt anyone.
Posted by Gail Allinson | June 16, 2008 10:01 PM
Posted on June 16, 2008 22:01