Fourteen years ago – March 1, 1995 – on Ke’e Beach in Kauai, Shelly and I got married … for the first time. On June 25 of that year we had a party to celebrate that momentous occasion. We had about 60 friends and family at our house and it was 105 degrees in our backyard. We will never forget any of it.
Flash forward to March 1, 2004. SF Mayor Gavin Newsom had declared the existing law around marriage unconstitutional, and so on this day, Shelly and I got married again, the ninth anniversary of our original vows, at City Hall. We were lucky enough to be one of nearly 4,000 couples to get licenses before the state shut it down. My parents were witnesses and our friends Renee and Cindy were there cheering us on. Apparently the second time was not the charm and the state nullified all of these marriages. We still have all the official documents though and our picture ran in the Oakland Tribune.
Which brings me to today. The California Supreme Court, following in the footsteps of Massachusetts, ruled yesterday that the existing law declaring marriage between a man and a woman is unconstitutional.
So, here we go again. We could wait until next March to renew our vows for the third time in San Francisco or we can seize the moment and in solidarity with our sisters and brothers, get married now. There’s a chance that the haters will get a measure onto the November ballot to erase the gains the court has made.
What did we decide? See you at City Hall on June 25. Third time’s the charm?
KBad's Blog 