Same Sex Marriages at San Francisco City Hall, Plus LGBTQ Pride Saturday

Today my daughter and I went down to San Francisco's Civic Center. Ordinarily, I'm not there on a Saturday ... my couch and a good book usually beckons. But, what the hell, it's Pride weekend and I most likely will not make it in tomorrow -- I hate crowds. Guess what? It was crowded in SF at 11:30 already! But we walked around and I took photos. My main goal was to go to City Hall -- yep, they opened today to officiate for all those patiently waiting same-sex couples. San Francisco is very special. Thanks, officials! Gavin Newsom and his team led the way. Thanks all!!

(I purposely use "same-sex couples" instead of gay or lesbian couples because -- they could be bisexual.)

Here's my photo scrapbook ... some of them anyway. Enjoy.

And ...

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE HAPPY COUPLES AND THEIR FAMILIES ... SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO THEIR KIDS!!

All photos (c) 2013 K. Smokey Cormier
If you want to enlarge a photo, double-click on it.


Outside of City Hall folks are already celebrating and the SF Pride committee is preparing for the onslaught of thousands and thousands of people tomorrow.

 Food stands are already in operation

The main stage is getting prepared. Sound system is being fine tuned.

Larkin Street Youth - a service for all queer youth

Pinkness

LGBTQ dogs want some attention too, ya know

Now ... inside City Hall ... it's a really beautiful building.

And couples are getting married all over the building. It's got some cool nooks to get married in.

Guests are shooting pictures and filming.

These brides are waiting -- they're next. (I'd be nervous!)

beautiful

Stairway down into the rotunda.

Under this dome -- lest we forget -- the bodies of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were lain in state. They were assassinated by Supervisor Dan White.

There they are -- the brides -- post ceremony!

Lots of LGBQ clerics were the greeters throughout the building. Here are three arriving just as my daugher and I were leaving.

What a day! More to come.

Art Imitates Life

Noor Abed's public art installation, Rotten, in the making at Ramallah's Manarah Square. Courtesy Noor Abed

From Ramallah in Occupied Palestine comes the interesting story of 21-year-old artist Noor Abed, who got tired of comments and catcalls from men on the street and decided to see if she could do a little consciousness-raising with art. FTA in the UAE paper, The National:

Ms Abed decided to place a mannequin in a long white dress in Manara Square in central Ramallah. Then, with two male colleagues, she urged passersby to write comments on the dress. She asked them to write what they might have thought had they seen a woman walking down the street in similar attire.

The comments veered between corny and outright filthy. But almost all had as a common thread: sex, or the desire for it.

Sex is universal. The desire for it is universal. But the expression of that desire varies from culture to culture, and has historically been oppressive to women and those whose sexuality differs from the norm.

Sex advice columnist Dan Savage, an icon of our queer community, talks to the parent of a gay adolescent and advises him to treat his gay son like a daughter:

You should also regard your son, at least through his adolescence, as more of a daughter to you than a son. We tend to be more protective of our daughters — our straight daughters —than we are of our sons. Why? A sexist desire to keep our daughters “pure”? That’s a part of it, sure, but there’s also this: Men are pigs, and people on the receiving end of male sexual desire and attention are in more danger than people on the receiving end of female sexual desire and attention. (In general — individual results may vary.) Testosterone is the crystal meth of hormones, a badass drug, and men are more likely to be abusive and violent. The prevalence of HIV among gay men makes the stakes higher for your son. So don’t allow him to date anyone you don’t get to meet and approve of, and don’t confuse “being supportive” with “letting him do whatever/whomever he wants.” Be active, be engaged, and never stop being his meddling, interfering, hypersuspicious dad.

Kudos to Danny for voicing those sentiments, and kudos to Ms. Abed also for her courageous art!

When do I get to vote on YOUR marriage?

Leah Garchik is reporting in her column today (sfgate.com) in the San Francisco Chronicle:

P.S.: As to fashion statements, Donald Currie saw the T-shirt in the window of the In-Jean-ious Lounge on Castro Street: "When do I get to vote on YOUR marriage?"

I REALLY REALLY WANT ONE OF THOSE T SHIRTS!!

I may even drive into San Francisco tomorrow to get one. I better call first and have them hold one for me.