Cyrena writes:

“It’s really not any different here at home, in regard to having one’s marriage recognized by the State. A church or other religious ceremony is NOT enough to have one’s marriage recognized. All of the same licensing is required”

It’s not equivalent, because getting the license does not make you married.

In the US, only the ceremony - even if it’s a religious ceremony - is recognized as making you married.

That’s not the case in France (if my information is correct); there, only a civil marriage ceremony makes you legally married. You have to have one whether or not you have a religious ceremony.

Just a quick response to the subject of the separation of church and state in marriage, as Ed Harges and Brusays were commenting on.

It’s really not any different here at home, in regard to having one’s marriage recognized by the State. A church or other religious ceremony is NOT enough to have one’s marriage recognized. All of the same licensing is required, along with whatever the individual states’ request. (here in California I think a blood test is still required). So EVERYBODY has to have that, regardless of what ‘ceremony’ they choose to have as well, (or not). I remember attending a very brief civil ceremony (at city hall) when my mother married my stepfather. (I think I was about 4 years old, but I actually do remember it). They never had any ‘ceremony’ other than that.

Now the Catholic Church doesn’t recognize that marriage, because the Catholic Church doesn’t recognize ANY marriages beyond the first, unless one of the people in the marriage dies. So since my mother’s first husband/myfather is now deceased, maybe the Church would recognize the marriage between her and my stepfather. But, who cares? They’ve been married for 50 years without ‘church approval’ and it doesn’t seem to matter to anyone, least of all them.

But, my point was only that France isn’t so much different, (at least not different from California). The same license is required, the same witnesses are required on the paperwork for the state as well. My sister had a church wedding, but the paperwork for the state was the same.

So, the real victory here for these gay and lesbian couples isn’t so much the ceremony itself, (they’ve been having those for decades) but the fact that they are issued a MARRIAGE license, and that the state recognizes it as a MARRIAGE. (and not a domestic partnership, which is all that was allowed by the state before now).

So that’s the real victory, whether they choose to actually have a ceremony or not. Like I said, the civil ceremony for the state has always been required, but it’s just like a 10 minute deal at City Hall with an officiator and two witnesses.

Ed Harges…You (and France, and so many other nations) are absolutely right.

Here we are, the famous, 225-year old “separation of church and state” nation and we still haven’t properly separated the civil act of marriage from its religious connections.

Let those religions that abhor gay marriage ban it. So be it - that’s their right. And, similarly, it’s the government’s right to tax the church!

Render under Caesar that which is Caesar’s…

It’s very simple. Either take away the state’s capacity to marry anyone, or extend the service to all.

I have read that in France, when you get married, you have to have a separate civil ceremony, if you want the state to recognize your marriage. The state does not simply count a church ceremony, for example, as establishing the civil, legal state of marriage.

This is the right way to do it. Keep religious marriage and civil marriage separate, so that the separation between religion and state remains clear.

congratulations, del and phyllis! you are a source of pride for all of us.

for the best in ongoing gay news, watch gay usa, online and on air every week on freespeech tv.

It’s about time.

There’s absolutely no sane reason a “marriage” can’t be between any two consenting adults: different sex, old or young, gay or straight, black or white, rich or poor, Muslim or Jewish…whatever.

The only reason for objection would be one of expressed, hidden or latent homophobia. I mean WTF, exactly how could “gay marriage” affect the sanctity of any other marriage? 

Yep, it’s about time. In a few years we’ll be looking back wondering what all the fuss was about. Time to grow up America.