"Our marriage doesn't mean the same as others because it is not recognized at the federal level, so it's a second-rate marriage," said Lorian Dunlop, 47, of Murrieta, who married her partner last June. "And the fact that you can't get married today makes our marriage feel somewhat less real, like it was grandfathered in."
She said her heart ached at the unfairness of denying the right to marry to those who hadn't met the right partner in time or weren't ready for marriage during the brief window when it was legal last year.
Several gay couples were in attendance as West Hollywood officials sought to chart a path forward in the fight for same-sex marriage rights after the high court's decision. Although Mark Katz, 58, and Robert Goodman, 48, continue to be recognized in the state as legally married, they deemed the ruling "tragic."
"This is as if we were freed slaves living in a slave state," said Goodman, a career counselor. "We were able to keep our marriage, but none of our brothers will be able to marry."
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carol.williams@latimes.com
Times staff writers Maria L. LaGanga in San Francisco, David Kelly in Temecula and Corina Knoll contributed to this report.
