At the stroke of 5 Monday afternoon, gay and lesbian couples across California had a moment to savor: At long last, they could legally wed.
From Woodland to San Francisco to Beverly Hills, dozens of same-sex couples – with hundreds more expected today – exchanged "I do's" in court-sanctioned ceremonies tinged with history, joy and reflection.
Ellen Pontac wore purple and her partner – now her spouse – wore black when they exchanged rings.
Yolo County Clerk/Recorder Freddie Oakley asked each if they took the other as her wife, and both said "I do."
With that, Oakley pronounced the couple married.
"We've been waiting a very, very long time," said Pontac.
While Sacramento and most other counties waited until today to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses, Yolo County and several others began performing ceremonies as soon as it became legal at 5:01 p.m.
The Yolo County clerk's office extended its hours to marry 10 couples through 8 p.m. Monday, while about 10 protesters voiced displeasure over the same-sex nuptials outside the office in Woodland.
"I came from the Soviet Union, and this is judicial tyranny – they're starting to regulate religion," said one of the protesters, Yuriy Popko.
In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom officiated over the nuptials between Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, the same octogenarian couple who were the first to be married four years ago when Newsom unilaterally began issuing same-sex marriage licenses. A court soon afterward ordered him to stop.
On Monday, Lyon and Martin were remarried amid clashes between opposing sides of the same-sex marriage debate. Hundreds swarmed the grounds of San Francisco City Hall, toting signs and shouting at each other.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness a civil rights movement," said Thomas Parker of Yuba County, a student at Chico State who arrived to witness history in San Francisco.
Luke Otterstad, 22, arrived from Sacramento to protest gay marriages in San Francisco. "I'm here to remind this city of God's law," he said. He wore a black T-shirt that said "Love Jesus."
His focus today, he said, will turn to Sacramento County, where at least 108 couples – many of them same-sex couples – are expected to obtain marriage licenses at the county clerk's office.
"We're expecting a very busy, happy day," said Wanda Dark, the county assistant clerk/recorder. "It's going to busy all week long. … It's just going to be a historic day."
While Monday provided a day of celebration for advocates of gay and lesbian rights, opponents said they were gearing up for a five-month campaign to deny same-sex couples the right to marry.
In November, voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman.
"We're very optimistic that the voters of California will tell the courts what they mean when marriage is between a man and a woman," said Tony Perkins, president the Washington-based Family Research Council, which is mobilizing supporters in California to win passage of the gay marriage ban.
In a May 15 ruling, the California Supreme Court said the state could not prohibit same-sex couples from marrying. To comply with that order, the state stripped gender-specific language from state marriage forms for use starting after 5 p.m. Monday, making California the second state to sanction such marriages.
"People are going to arrive and marry in California, go home and challenge laws, and that's troubling," Perkins said. "This is more troubling than Massachusetts four years ago, because California's laws will allow people to go to California and get married. Then they'll go back home and they'll challenge their states' laws and eventually federal law."
The federal Defense of Marriage Act allows states to draft their own definition of marriage, but the law prohibits federal agencies from recognizing same-sex marriages.
Opponents of gay marriage petitioned a Sacramento County judge Monday to bar the use of gender-neutral forms, a last-minute bid to prevent same-sex marriages.
A hearing was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today before Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette.
The petition, signed by a handful of supervisors representing Yuba, Sutter, Nevada and Stanislaus counties, contends that the California Department of Health's Office of Vital Records was not authorized to issue the forms without prior legislative action.
Instead of "bride" and "groom," the new forms refer to "Party A" and "Party B."
The petition argues that using the new forms would raise questions about the validity of those marriage licenses and "may lead to decades of litigation."
Randy Thomasson, president of the Campaign for Children and Families, dismissed the same-sex unions "as false marriages," but urged opponents not to be "discouraged."
"You need to plan now to vote in November to protect (marriage) licenses for only a man and woman," Thomasson said.
He charged that the Schwarzenegger administration "unlawfully altered" marriage forms, which he maintained cannot be done without changing state statutes.
"Until the statutes are changed, marriage can't be changed into something else beyond a man and a woman," Thomasson said.
Suanne Buggy, a spokeswoman for the state health department, said the agency had "taken appropriate measures to be in compliance with the California Supreme Court's decision."
Magagnini reported from Woodland and Enkoji reported from San Francisco. Aurelio Rojas contributed to this report. Call The Bee's Bobby Caina Calvan, (916) 321-1067.
