Gay weddings go on in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hundreds of gay men and lesbians lined up outside city hall in heavy rain Monday, hoping to join more than 1,700 other same-sex couples who had exchanged vows with the city's blessing before a court decides whether to halt the unprecedented wedding march.

Many couples camped out overnight so they could get marriage licenses in advance of a pair of court hearings scheduled for today, when two groups planned to ask a judge to block San Francisco from sanctioning any more same-sex unions.

"This is an opportunity we couldn't pass up," said David Miller of San Francisco as he and his partner, Guadalupe Jimenez, waited in a line that snaked from the county clerk's office and wound three blocks around the ornate building.

Since San Francisco officials began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples last Thursday, hundreds of gays and lesbians have wed -- many rushing to California from around the country to take advantage of special weekend and holiday hours the city offered.

The city's attorneys said they will argue that local government agencies or officials are not barred from advancing their own interpretations of the state constitution. They also claim the plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate that continuing to issue licenses for same-sex couples would cause the irreparable harm necessary to obtain a court stay.

On Monday, a cadre of city workers deputized to perform weddings simultaneously presided over 10 ceremonies on the grand marble staircase at city hall.

While the weddings kept city hall offices that would normally be closed in observance of Presidents Day buzzing, conservative activists promised a legal challenge.

Briefs filed Monday

San Francisco Superior Court Judge James L. Warren had ordered attorneys for the city and for a conservative group challenging the marriages to file legal briefs by noon Monday. Last week the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund sued to block same-sex unions, and Warren scheduled a hearing today in the case. A second legal challenge, filed by a California group, also is scheduled for a hearing today.

Critics have pointed to a ballot initiative approved by California voters in 2000 that says the state will only recognize as valid marriages between a man and woman. The two groups that are going to court are also seeking judicial declarations to invalidate the weddings that have taken place.

Despite that threat, beaming couples at city hall on Monday said they wanted to be part of a historic moment.

"It doesn't matter even if it's a one-day thing because of the precedent," said Tom O'Brien, of Redwood City, who returned to city hall for the second day in a row so he could wed his partner of four years, Sathit Sapprasert. "It's important that we stand up. Whether this survives the scrutiny is another question."

Newly elected Mayor Gavin Newsom touched off the wedding spree by ordering officials to issue licenses to same-sex couples.