Peninsula Residents, Lawmakers Laud Prop 8 Ruling

By Bay City News Service

Today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling dismissing the Proposition 8 appeal and likely making way for same-sex weddings to resume in California has many throughout the state rejoicing -- including on the Peninsula, where a longtime supervisor-turned-assemblyman called it a dream come true for the

LGBT community.

State Assemblyman Rich Gordon, D-Menlo Park, who chairs the Legislative Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus, called today a day of celebration.

"Today, with the Supreme Court's announcements, we are realizing that dream and we now celebrate equal marriage rights for all Californians," Gordon said.

Gordon married his partner of 26 years when same-sex weddings were briefly legal in 2008, calling it one of the greatest days of his life, when he was able to announce to his loved ones that they were a family.

Mountain View resident Shannon Casey, a parent advocate with the Our Family Coalition, is basking in the glory resulting from the hard work and dedication that went into efforts to overturn Proposition 8.

Casey and her partner of 16 years were married in Vancouver, B.C., in 2003. While she doesn't see a need to get married again, she said the couples' two children, ages 9 and 12, are requesting a big wedding reception.

"My family and I are incredibly excited for the loving, committed relationship my partner and I have shared for the last 16 years to finally be recognized by our country," Casey said.

She said one positive byproduct of today's ruling is that it will help the anti-bias work she does in schools, pointing out that such work will only be improved by "our country's support of our marriages."

Steve Epstein, a Burlingame human resources professional, has been married to his partner for five years and the couple has been together for nine. Epstein said he and his partner were of the roughly 18,000 couples granted a state marriage license in 2008.

"I am thrilled about today's ruling. I have always felt for the people who are in loving and committed relationships and want to get married but cannot," Epstein said. "Every day sooner that we can make that happen is good. I hope it can be in a couple of days."

But Epstein pointed out that while the Proposition 8 decision is a huge step in the right direction, more work needs to be done to ensure equal rights and benefits for same-sex partners.

"There are a lot of details that still need to be worked out. We need tax fairness and recognition of marriage in other states," Epstein said.

San Mateo County held its first PRIDE event on June 15 with nearly 300 people in attendance, according to Pacifica resident Susan Takalo, who co-organized the San Mateo County PRIDE Initiative. The San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services sponsored the event.

Takalo said the LGBT community in San Mateo County is just starting to blossom and today's ruling makes that community stronger.

"Our community is just coming together -- San Mateo County is mostly a bedroom community and not very visible and 'out,'" Takalo said.

"Lots of people in our community are married and (today's ruling is) acknowledging the work we've done and our relationships and I think it's really fabulous,"

Takalo said the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has been supportive of the strides the LGBT community has made. She hopes to have the

second annual PRIDE event in San Mateo in June 2014.

Daly City Vice Mayor David Canepa also voiced his satisfaction with today's Proposition 8 ruling.

"This is a historic moment we should all celebrate, and while there is more work that needs to be done, a clear message was sent by the Supreme Court that love is not just designated for a certain group but love is a universal right," Canepa said. "This reinforces the rights of all people to be in a loving relationship, and be conferred the same rights as any couple would have."

The Rev. Terry Echelbarger of San Mateo's Peninsula Metropolitan Community Church, a diverse congregation comprised primarily of LGBT people with about 10 percent of its congregation heterosexual, said her congregation is "overjoyed" by today's ruling.

 "It's been 45 years since Metropolitan Community Church's Rev. Troy Perry performed the first public same-gender wedding in the U.S. and it's 43 years since he filed the first lawsuit in the U.S. seeking legal recognition of same-gender marriage," Echelbarger said.

"God does not discriminate, but many states still do -- may we continue to work until all are free."

Epstein and other members of the LGBT community, clergy and residents will meet in Redwood City at 5 p.m. today to discuss the events of the day. The event will be held at 455 County Center, Redwood City.