Editorial (from the San Jose Mercury News): Today belongs to couple, married at last after 50 years.
Congratulations and happiness to you, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon.
Best wishes, too, to hundreds of barrier-busting couples who will take marriage vows at secular courthouse altars across the state. The first ceremonies in Santa Clara County are today. For now - and, we hope, forever - may your same-sex marriages be sanctioned by the state of California.
Last night marked the start of a new wedding season as dozens of gay and lesbian couples were married. But the evening belonged to Martin and Lyon, octogenarians who tied the knot in San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's office. Longtime advocates of lesbian rights, Martin and Lyon have lived together for 50-plus years.
Their enduring, loving relationship is a model for others, gay or straight. It honors what marriage is intended to promote: monogamy.
In coming months, leading to a November initiative that would overturn the court decision sanctioning same-sex marriages, there will be impassioned rhetoric and protests. But there will also be celebrations by neighbors and co-workers. Many marriages will be by couples in their 30s, 40s and 50s who have lived together for years.
They will offer a human face to the polemics, and, we hope, persuade voters not to use the ballot box to deny them joy and respect.
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