More Than 50 Gay Couples Are Married in San Francisco

C. Marshall

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12 Two lesbians who have been living together for more than 50 years were the first to marry at city hall Thursday under a new city directive, leading the way for a host of other same-sex marriages and setting the stage for a heated debate over the legality of the ceremony.California family law states that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Nonetheless, the San Francisco county clerk issued the women, Phyllis Lyon, 79, and Del Martin, 83, an official marriage certificate and said the act was legal. They were married by the county assessor.By late Thursday afternoon, at least 50 other gay couples had been married and others, some dressed in wedding gowns and dark suits, were waiting their turn."The marriages will be recognized in San Francisco, but I can't say how they will be viewed anywhere else," said the county clerk, Nancy Alfaro.