SAN FRANCISCO—Nearly a decade after Gavin Newsom, then-mayor of San Francisco, took the law into his own hands and began issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Newsom had, for all intents and purposes, done the right thing. On June 26, the Court declared DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, to be unconstitutional. The court further declined to rule on Proposition 8, the California ban on gay marriages approved by voters in 2008. Proposition 8 was then returned to the California court that had already ruled it unconstitutional.
[Editor's note: On June 28, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit lifted its stay of the Federal District Court decision that found Proposition 8 unconstitutional.]
For Rev. Victor Floyd, pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco, the SCOTUS rulings were a validation for what he had been doing for years. "MCC has been performing same sex marriages for 45 years," he said to WCT. "It turns out we were right all along. Today same sex marriage has come one step closer to normal."
Rabbi Camille Angel—a lesbian and the leader of San Francisco's Congregation Shaar Zahav, an LGBT Temple—echoed Floyd's sentiments. "Today is a day for blessing," she said. "I'm very proud to be part of the Jewish people. Eighty percent of Jewish voters voted in favor of marriage equality. I wish my parents could be alive to see this. I wish that so many people who worked for this day and died never imagining that it would happen could see it."
On Castro Street, San Francisco's self-described "gayborhood," thousands converged to celebrate the court rulings. Gay men and lesbians danced together. Gay seniors wept openly after living entire lives as second class citizens. Same sex couples partied with their children. Transgender people waved rainbow flags and cheered.
There were a few speakers. Longtime activist Cleve Jones called upon the revelers to pay a moment of silent respect to former South African President Nelson Mandela, who, at last report, was in critical condition in a hospital. The crowd applauded when Jones pointed out that South Africa is currently the only nation that recognizes LGBT people as equals in their federal constitution.
Stuart Milk, the openly gay nephew of the late gay leader Harvey Milk, joined the party and offered a message of hope to those who live in states where LGBT marriages are not yet recognized.
"Right now people in Florida, Idaho and Illinois are celebrating even though this does not impact them," Milk said to Windy City Times. "But there is hope. You can feel it and taste it. People now have hope."
In the 1970s, Harvey Milk gave a famous speech that included the words "You gotta give them hope."
"We have a lot more work to do," said Angel.
