California same-sex couples will start to wed today

by michelle.sundvick | June 16, 2008 at 10:21 am

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Today marks the first day that same-sex couples will wed since the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages last month. Though many saw this court ruling as a step forward for the state of California, opponents are working on a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and woman.

The ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in California formally takes effect at 5:01 p.m. PT (8:01 p.m. ET) Monday. That's just past closing time for county offices that issue marriage licenses, but some plan to stay open late to accommodate same-sex couples.

Clerks expect a much larger number of couples Tuesday morning. They will complete marriage-license applications that replace "Bride" and "Groom" with "Partner A" and "Partner B."

Stephen Weir and John Hemm of Martinez plan to be among the first in line Tuesday.

"My family and friends are going to be there to celebrate this, and there isn't anybody that's going to take any of that away from us," Weir said. iReport.com: Share your feelings, photos and videos

Not everyone is as excited about the new law as Weir and Hemm. There has even been talk about staging protests against same-sex marriages later this week.

Opponents have said they've collected enough signatures to call for a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and woman. The California secretary of state must verify the signatures to clear the way for a November vote on the proposed amendment.

"Even if they vote it out," Hemm said, "something they can never take away from me is my relationship with Stephen."