Hitched! Wedding Stories from San Francisco City Hall

by Dumesnil, Cheryl

• ISBN13: 9781560257646
• ISBN10: 1560257644
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-09-21
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books

Summary

On Thursday, February 12, 2004, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, a lesbian couple who have been together for fifty-one years, became the first same-sex couple married at San Francisco City Hall. By March 11, when the California State Supreme Court ordered a halt to the weddings, 4.037 gay and lesbian couples had tied the knot. These couples had traveled to San Francisco by bus and plane. They had called in sick to work and packed their kids and camping gear into the backs of their cars, and headed to City Hall. They had stood in line through high wind and torrential rain, all for a chance to have their relationships legally recognized. Each couple has a unique story to tell. While the media have focused on political aspects of the ongoing marriage debate, interviewing pundits and average citizens on both sides of the issue, by and large the lives of the newlywedstheir rich, diverse, and vibrant personal historieshave remained invisible. Hitched! Wedding Stories from San Francisco City Hall introduces readers to the determined, brave, and loving couples who took center stage during the historical events at City Hall.

Author Biography

A poet, essayist, editor, and writing instructor, Cheryl Dumesnil earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing and a Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies at Syracuse University. Her writing has appeared in Bakunin, Barrow Street, Calyx, Louisville Review, Many Mountains Moving, and Nimrod among other literary magazines. From 1994-2001, Cheryl Dumesnil taught essay and poetry writing at Syracuse University, Santa Clara University, College of Notre Dame, and Foothill College. Currently she teaches private writing workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area. She lives in Walnut Creek, CA.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Foreword
Preface
The marrying machine	p. 1
Spouses for life	p. 10
"Joy lies in the fight"	p. 15
Newlyweds after seventeen years	p. 19
Someone you should know	p. 30
Better than winning the lottery	p. 42
Two umbrellas and a couple of plastic laundry bags	p. 45
One day at a time	p. 52
Refusing to sit in the back of the bus	p. 64
Couple #A169	p. 71
The luckiest woman alive	p. 80
My life, my wife, and our family	p. 82
Hitched	p. 93
I was just tired of yelling at the radio	p. 98
A married community	p. 103
We are going to win	p. 106
Two weddings and a funeral	p. 113
My husband, my hero	p. 119
It will make us all equal	p. 123
Yes, be with her	p. 135
So many blessings	p. 143
"You are my beloved ones, on whom my favor rests"	p. 150
We are not deterred	p. 157
Flowers, tons of flowers	p. 164
This is my husband, Robert	p. 170
For ourselves and our children	p. 175
After fourteen years	p. 191
Now I'm mad as hell	p. 199
"Gentle, angry people"	p. 203
Fifty years together, then six days late	p. 206
We couldn't be more married	p. 215
Afterword	p. 217
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