Whne was gay marriage in california legalized

February 14, Insame-sex marriage was prohibited under state and federal law. On February 10,former Mayor Gavin Newsom made history when he wrote to then-County Clerk Nancy Alfaro, urging her to alter the template for marriage licenses to accommodate a same-sex couples.

The actions taken by countless individuals garnered overwhelming support for equality and protections everyone deserves. City officials worked quickly to update the form. A handful of other couples followed, including Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, marriage equality activists who upon hearing the news, rushed to City Hall to be wed.

Between February 12 and March 11,San Francisco issued over 4, marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

A Brief History of the California Marriage Cases

They talked about the difference this was making in their lives and what it meant. It was a long fight, and there were ups and downs. The actions of San Francisco local leaders, LGBTQ community activists, and City staff were integral to the eventual legalization of same-sex marriages in all 50 states in I was working at the ACLU as part of the same-sex marriage movement.

The minute couples began lining up at City Hall to get married, my job was to gather their personal stories for the ACLU so we could find plaintiffs for the inevitable court cases. The goal was to win in both the court of law and the court of public opinion.

While it took another decade of hard work, the movement succeeded. I also met a wonderful partner and got married. Additionally, in Springa fixed number of couples each day will be able to receive same-day copies of their Marriage Certificates, a process that can typically take up to 10 days, as part of a new pilot appointment service.

It was the most romantic Valentine's Day weekend imaginable with City Hall filled with couples representing the full diversity of our city and country in all its beauty, declaring their love for each other. As the struggle for full equality and embrace of all LGBTQ people continues, San Francisco and the events that took place at City Hall 20 years ago stand as a beacon of hope and inspiration for all.

Over the next four tumultuous years of court battles and public debate, we prevailed and were legally married by then-Mayor Newsom in September of For our special day to coincide with the year anniversary of the Winter of Love makes this all the more significant to us! Office of Former Mayor London Breed.