1st Gay Marriage to be Held in Beverly Hills

Photo by Donnay via Flickr

When officials said counties could begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses at 5:01 p.m. on Monday, June 16, by extending office hours, most still chose to begin the ceremonies on June 17 when it was originally scheduled. Counties that stayed with such action included Los Angeles and San Francisco.

However, both of those counties will issue one license on Monday to "commemorate the ruling." In his gay marriage Q & A column, Rong-Gong Lin II, says that the first couple in Los Angeles to marry on Monday night will be "Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, who on Valentine's Day 2004 were denied a marriage license at the Beverly Hills Courthouse and challenged that rejection all the way to the California Supreme Court. Their license, to be issued in Beverly Hills, was given an exception 'in recognition of their unique role in the court's decision,' said acting Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan."

Alameda, Sonoma and Yolo counties will be issuing licenses beginning Monday night. One conservative county, Kern (home to Bakersfield), is causing trouble. The county clerk has banned her office from performing weddings, gay or straight. Instead, volunteer ministers will officiate over the weddings on the grounds of the clerk's downtown office.