"All you had to do was just see it, and it was very difficult to then walk away and say, 'That is not a wonderful thing,' " said Eric Jay, an advisor to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "It's the power of marriage."
That said, both sides know that the images of some partnerships may be more palatable than others.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, June 19, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 37 words Type of Material: Correction
Wedding ceremonies: An article in Tuesday's Section A about how both sides on gay marriage are trying to shape public opinion misspelled the name of Eric Jaye, an advisor to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, as Jay.
"One of the things that have hurt the gay effort in California is the exhibitionism in San Francisco," which doesn't always play well elsewhere, said political analyst Tony Quinn.
During the campaign for Proposition 22, the successful 2000 initiative that defined marriage as between a man and a woman, Quinn said many Californians were appalled by images of groups like the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of gay male activists who dressed up like nuns.
With the initiative looming, proponents of same-sex marriage now are taking care to emphasize mainstream unions.
By design, San Francisco's first wedding, officiated by Newsom, was of octogenarian lesbians Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, who have been together for more than half a century. They also were the first couple married by Newsom four years ago during the so-called Winter of Love, when San Francisco defied state law and began marrying same-sex couples. Those marriages were later invalidated, setting the stage for the legal confrontation that resulted in the Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage.
The Martin-Lyon wedding on Monday, like other ceremonies held before today's official launch of same-sex marriage, was strictly orchestrated. Martin and Lyon were married in a private ceremony in Newsom's City Hall office, with only two news agencies -- the Associated Press and the hometown San Francisco Chronicle -- allowed to attend.
Many of the other early weddings in the state were also of long-term couples who could have been selected by central casting to appear both nonthreatening and mainstream. In many cases, news releases were issued and the media invited.
In Los Angeles, the first wedding at 5:01 p.m. Monday involved Robin Tyler, 66, and Diane Olson, 54. Today, George Takei, 72, who played Hikaru Sulu on "Star Trek," will get a marriage license with his partner of 21 years, Brad Altman. San Diego's first wedding will be between Bob Lehman, a former Marine who served a combat tour in the Persian Gulf, and his partner of 15 years, Tom Felkner.
One of Sacramento's first weddings will feature a former member of the Assembly, Dennis Mangers, and his partner of 17 years, Michael Sestak.
