Long time Gay rights activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon are formalizing their marriage today in San Francisco, and will be justifiably acknowledged and recognized as the first couple to be officially married in California since the California State Supreme Court wisely reminded us and re-affirmed that "separate is not equal," and that same-sex couples must not be denied marriage rights.
"Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin fell in love at a time when lesbians risked being arrested, fired from their jobs and sent to electroshock treatment.
"This afternoon, more than a half-century after they became a couple, Lyon and Martin plan to become the first same-sex couples to legally exchange marriage vows in San Francisco and among the first in the state.
“'It was something you wanted to know, "Is it really going to happen?" And now it’s happened, and maybe it can continue to happen,' Lyon said.
"San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom plans to officiate at the private ceremony in his City Hall office before 50 invited guests. He picked Martin, 87, and Lyon, 84, for the front of the line in recognition of their long relationship and their status as pioneers of the gay rights movement.
"Along with six other women, they founded a San Francisco social club for lesbians in 1955 called the Daughters of Bilitis. Under their leadership, it evolved into the nation’s first lesbian advocacy organization. They have the FBI files to prove it."
[For the full article, see here.]
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