That line from "The Princess Bride" keeps getting stuck in my head. I got to go to one of the same-sex weddings at City Hall in San Francisco on March 10, the day before the courts stepped in and shut the whole thing down. It was a beautiful wedding... an ex-coworker of mine stood up there at the top of the stairs with her partner of 21 years and their two sons. (Supposedly, the spot they picked was the same one where Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe got married — as someone joked, this marriage seems set to last a whole lot longer.)
One of the staff there told us that they'd all been vying to marry the couples, and that finally they had to set up a system of shifts — no more than two hours a day each. They just all wanted to be part of this so badly.
I'm glad my friends made it in just under the wire, but I feel bad for the other couples that had appointments after the court called a halt. And, of course, the question of what rights all the married couples have now is up in the air too.
I hope the court is sensible and fair about this. Apparently, what I consider fair and sensible isn't obvious to everyone, though. "States' rights", "sanctity of marriage", "protection of children"... blah blah blah. We either all have equal rights or we don't. What's it going to be?
In any case, other people who went to a wedding at City Hall during this amazing month can probably testify to the joyous atmosphere. How often do you get to experience that... let alone in a municipal building? When was the last time a bureaucrat made you smile?
