I am in tears for these people...this is so wrong!

[Not Me]

(San Francisco, California) More than 4,000 same-sex couples and their families are directly affected by the California Supreme Court's decision to nullify their marriages.

The high court ruled this morning that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom didn't have the authority to issue wedding licenses to same-sex couples and voided more than 4,000 gay marriages the city performed earlier this year.

Court’s decision today, depriving these families of equal dignity as well as of the many legal protections granted to married couples under California law. Among the families are Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, (pictured) the first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license in San Francisco on February 12, 2004.

" Del is eighty-three years old and I am seventy-nine," said Lyon, . "After being together for more than fifty years, it is a terrible blow to have the rights and protections of marriage taken away from us. At our age, we do not have the luxury of time." One very real consequence of the Court's action is that if one of the women were to die before the other, the surviving partner would have no right to social security or pension benefits and no protection against losing their family home.

More...http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/08/081204sfRxn.htm

[LittleApple81]

1. I am very SORRY for them and for the country. BUT THEY KNEW THEY

were taking a risk at being defeated by the bigoted society we live in. They did not go into this with their eyes closed.
This is a demonstration that this society is not Christian, humane, respectful of science, or very smart at all.
I feel SORRY FOR ALL OF US! Gays suffer the legal consequences, but all of us suffer for our NOT FIGHTING LIKE CRAZY WHEN WE SAW THE FUNDEMANTALISTS AND ALLIED RIGHTWING CANCERS GROWING IN AMERICA. We let them grow and prosper, now they are killing us and our self-respect.

[qwlauren35]

4. I agree...

I think the ruling was necessary. The judge's move was precedent setting and dangerous. It would be like a judge overriding the Immigration & Naturalization Laws and giving citizenship to a group of refugees without due process. Or that horribly awkward situation of the Cuban refugee child whose relatives wanted him to stay in the states, even though his father in Cuba wanted him back. If it had been any other situation other than marrying people, I think most people could see that the judge overstepped his bounds.

Unfortunately, the issue is highly charged, and the legal implications are lost in the emotional issues.

For all the negative press that Arnold gets, I think he can see that California needs to address the issue of gay marriages, and in a way that adheres to due process, and provides a dignified, permanent solution to the issue.

I am impressed by the step that NY has taken regarding next-of-kin rights; it's moving in the right direction. If marriage itself, because it is such a religiously loaded word, is too high a hurdle to jump at this time, I hope we see more laws such as NY's, so that we can move toward ensuring that gay couples have all the rights as het married couples do, even if the far right will not tolerate calling them "married".

[tridim]

2. It's just about time to nullify all marriage in CA

What's fair is fair. Let's see how hetero married couples react to a move like that. This stuff has to stop, now.

[0rion]

3. It's natural to sympathize and empathize.....

I hope things turn around for them, they married legally, their marriages were annulled illegally.

[Technowitch]

5. Thank you

My same-sex wife and I -- wed in SF on March 9th this past spring -- are pretty depressed about it all.

Nevertheless, we see it only as a setback. Not a defeat.

The fight goes on.

best,

[fortyfeetunder]

6. Outrage multiplied by many

Let's say 4000 couples got married and now told their marriage was void

Therefore 8000 people are pissed because they aren't married anymore.

Now if their parents were pissed (given at least 2 parents/person)there's another 16,000 people pissed

If those 16,000 people had parents, there is another 32,000...and so on..

Not to mention the friends and relatives that honored the vows.

So where's the outrage, ladies and gentlemen?