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CNN Live Today
Hundreds of Same-Sex Couple Marry in San Francisco
Aired February 13, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: Up first this hour on CNN, the "I do's" heard around the world.
San Francisco city leaders are rushing to issue marriage licenses to more gay and lesbian couples this morning. Opponents are rushing, as well, to court.
Our Rusty Dornin is in San Francisco this morning with more.
Rusty, good morning.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Ninety-five couples exchanged vows in San Francisco yesterday. Some of the couples I talked to said they heard it on the car radio and came rushing down to city hall.
There was lots of whooping and hollering on the steps of city hall, but it looks like the battle may just be beginning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DORNIN (voice-over): City hall quickly became a mob scene as word spread the San Francisco city clerk was issuing same-sex marriage licenses.
Up to the altar first, 80-year-old Phyllis Lyon (ph) and 83-year- old Dorothy Martin, lovers for 50 years and lesbian activists for nearly that long.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a right just like anybody else to get married to the person that we want to get married to.
DORNIN: It was newly elected Mayor Gavin Newsom who gave them that right, ordering the clerk to issue them licenses after listening to President Bush's State of the Union address.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I give you this ring.
DORNIN: Words Jim Maloney (ph) and Andrew Nant (ph) never thought they would utter in a legal ceremony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very proud of it. Very happy. It's a very exciting day for all of America.
DORNIN: City officials say they moved quickly in anticipation of a request on Friday for an injunction against gay marriages from the conservative group Campaign for California Families.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DORNIN: The group did not file yesterday, because it was a court holiday. There's -- anti-gay demonstrators are expected today, and the group says they also plan to file a lawsuit against Mayor Gavin Newsom.
Newsom did tell CNN he hasn't talked to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger about what the state plans to do about this, but he says this city is ready to take this all the way to the Supreme Court -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, and no matter where you fall on the issue of gay marriage, logistically and legally how does this work, because in California doesn't the state oversee and have power over marriage and not a city government like San Francisco?
DORNIN: Right, well, Newsom is claiming that it is against the Constitution to deny people here the right under the equal rights, of course, that people here have it, as well.
He also said -- there's also a plan to change the state law, something that Mark Leno, who is a former councilman here, is going to be introducing that, as well.
He says -- they're telling up couples here, go ahead. We believe that you are married, but you will, of course, have to check on any benefits or check with your employer.
KAGAN: Still to play out. Much more. Thanks so much, Rusty Dornin in San Francisco.
In Massachusetts lawmakers there giving up for now on a constitutional amendment that would block same-sex marriages in that state. They suspended their constitutional convention early today after failing to agree on several compromised proposals.
Lawmakers will return to the statehouse on March 11, trying once again.
Massachusetts Supreme Court has ordered the state to issue licenses to same-sex couples starting in May. Even if lawmakers agree on a constitutional amendment, it wouldn't take effect until 2006.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 13, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: Up first this hour on CNN, the "I do's" heard around the world.
San Francisco city leaders are rushing to issue marriage licenses to more gay and lesbian couples this morning. Opponents are rushing, as well, to court.
Our Rusty Dornin is in San Francisco this morning with more.
Rusty, good morning.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Ninety-five couples exchanged vows in San Francisco yesterday. Some of the couples I talked to said they heard it on the car radio and came rushing down to city hall.
There was lots of whooping and hollering on the steps of city hall, but it looks like the battle may just be beginning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DORNIN (voice-over): City hall quickly became a mob scene as word spread the San Francisco city clerk was issuing same-sex marriage licenses.
Up to the altar first, 80-year-old Phyllis Lyon (ph) and 83-year- old Dorothy Martin, lovers for 50 years and lesbian activists for nearly that long.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a right just like anybody else to get married to the person that we want to get married to.
DORNIN: It was newly elected Mayor Gavin Newsom who gave them that right, ordering the clerk to issue them licenses after listening to President Bush's State of the Union address.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I give you this ring.
DORNIN: Words Jim Maloney (ph) and Andrew Nant (ph) never thought they would utter in a legal ceremony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very proud of it. Very happy. It's a very exciting day for all of America.
DORNIN: City officials say they moved quickly in anticipation of a request on Friday for an injunction against gay marriages from the conservative group Campaign for California Families.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DORNIN: The group did not file yesterday, because it was a court holiday. There's -- anti-gay demonstrators are expected today, and the group says they also plan to file a lawsuit against Mayor Gavin Newsom.
Newsom did tell CNN he hasn't talked to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger about what the state plans to do about this, but he says this city is ready to take this all the way to the Supreme Court -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, and no matter where you fall on the issue of gay marriage, logistically and legally how does this work, because in California doesn't the state oversee and have power over marriage and not a city government like San Francisco?
DORNIN: Right, well, Newsom is claiming that it is against the Constitution to deny people here the right under the equal rights, of course, that people here have it, as well.
He also said -- there's also a plan to change the state law, something that Mark Leno, who is a former councilman here, is going to be introducing that, as well.
He says -- they're telling up couples here, go ahead. We believe that you are married, but you will, of course, have to check on any benefits or check with your employer.
KAGAN: Still to play out. Much more. Thanks so much, Rusty Dornin in San Francisco.
In Massachusetts lawmakers there giving up for now on a constitutional amendment that would block same-sex marriages in that state. They suspended their constitutional convention early today after failing to agree on several compromised proposals.
Lawmakers will return to the statehouse on March 11, trying once again.
Massachusetts Supreme Court has ordered the state to issue licenses to same-sex couples starting in May. Even if lawmakers agree on a constitutional amendment, it wouldn't take effect until 2006.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
