Court blocks nuptials for gays

SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court ordered an immediate halt to same-sex weddings in San Francisco on Thursday as Massachusetts lawmakers gave preliminary approval to a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages in the only state where they have been ruled legal.

A Salt Lake attorney who married her lesbian partner in San Francisco last month said she was disappointed but not surprised by the California Supreme Court ruling.

"We weren't sure how long it would last," Jane Marquardt said of the new San Francisco mayor's decision to begin issuing gender-neutral marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples in early February.

She and her partner of five years, Tami, stood in the rain for 10 hours outside the San Francisco City Hall before their turn came for a brief marriage ceremony. The couple's marriage is not recognized in Utah, so the California ruling has no immediate effect on them.

"Practically, we don't have rights as a married couple in Utah anyway," Marquardt said. "To us, it's being willing to stand up and say, 'We're the people you're talking about. This affects our lives and we think we deserve the same rights as our heterosexual friends.' "

In San Francisco, teary-eyed couples were quickly turned away at City Hall, where 4,161 gay couples have tied the knot in the past month.

"We were filling out the application, and they told us to stop," said Art Adams, who was the first to be denied as he and partner Devin Baker sought a license. "It's heartbreaking. I don't understand why two people in love should be prevented from expressing it."

On the other side of the country, Massachusetts legislators returned to the Capitol to consider a constitutional amendment that would strip gay couples of their court-granted right to marriage but allow civil unions.

The amendment won approval during two preliminary votes, but its final passage is far from certain. Gay marriage supporters were conducting procedural maneuvers that could ultimately lead to the proposal's defeat.

Massachusetts took center stage in the national debate over gay marriage following a landmark decision by its highest court in November that was reaffirmed last month. The rulings set the stage for the nation's first legally sanctioned gay marriages on May 17.

Lawmakers seeking to put a gay marriage ban before Massachusetts voters were unsuccessful during a joint House-Senate session last month.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom waded into the debate at about the same time, ordering his administration on Feb. 12 to issue same-sex marriage licenses.