Brief Info about Gay.
Gay is an adjective that usually refers to homosexuality in contemporary colloquial usage.
In earlier and in literary usage, the word means "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy". From the 1890s, it had begun to carry a connotation of promiscuity, as in a "gay house" referring to a brothel. It began to be used in reference to homosexuality in particular from the early 20th century, from the 1920s at the latest.
The word "gay" is sometimes used to refer to same-sex relationships more generally, as in "gay marriage", although this usage is discouraged by some LGBT supporters: the rationale is that this usage is exclusive of not only bisexual and transgender people but also lesbians who generally reject labels of being a subset of men, even gay men. While gay applies in some contexts to all homosexual people, the term lesbian is sex-specific: it is used exclusively to describe gay women. Sometimes gay is used to refer only to men.In contemporary culture, the word 'gay' also has pejorative non-sexualized usage (especially among younger generations) to mean 'rubbish'; for something not considered good . The use of the term in this manner is contentious
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The really big rush to the altar was not expected to take place until Tuesday, which is when most counties planned to start issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of couples from around the country are expected to seize the opportunity to make their unions official in the eyes of the law.
In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom, who helped launch the series of lawsuits that led the court to strike down California's one-man-one-woman marriage laws, presided at the wedding of Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 84.
Newsom picked the couple for the only ceremony in City Hall Monday in recognition of their long relationship and their status as pioneers of the gay rights movement. More than 600 same-sex couples have made appointments to get marriage licenses in San Francisco over the next 10 days.
Martin sat in her wheelchair during the ceremony in Newsom's office, which was open to a few elected officials, reporters and friends.
After the mayor pronounced them "spouses for life," the couple kissed, drawing huge applause.
Newsom called officiating the wedding "this extraordinary and humbling gift."
Meanwhile outside City Hall, a crowd of well-wishers gathered to wish the happy couple congratulations.
A handful of people opposed to gay marriage were also there. Some held signs with statements including "Jesus said go and sin no more."
Just hours before the ruling went into effect, a conservative legal group asked a Sacramento court to order the California agency that oversees marriages to stop issuing gender-neutral marriage licenses.
Gary Kreep of the San Diego County-based United States Justice Foundation said his group filed a petition on behalf of five county supervisors from Yuba, Stanislaus, Nevada and Sutter counties. The petition argues the state Department of Public Health failed to hold legally required public hearings on the licenses and claims legislators must amend state marriage laws before the licenses are valid.
A hearing on the matter was scheduled for Tuesday.
Also Monday, a conservative Christian law firm and a church joined in faxing letters to county clerk offices, telling them that they do not have to do work related to same-sex marriages if it violates their religious beliefs.
Despite the last minute legal efforts, dozens of same-sex couples were married in ceremonies at city offices in San Francisco, Alameda, Sonoma, Los Angeles and Yolo counties.
Derek Norman, 23 and Robert Blaudow, 39, from Memphis, Tenn., were in the Bay Area for a conference and decided to get married at the Alameda County clerk's office.
"We might wait a long time in Tennessee, so this is our chance," Blaudow said.
First in line to pick up a marriage license in Sonoma were Melanie Phoenix, 47, and Terry Robinson, 48, of Santa Rosa. They have been together for almost 26 years and plan to wed in August.
"It's an historic occasion," Phoenix said. "I never believed it was really possible until Gavin Newsom took the first step in 2004."
In February 2004, Newsom decided to challenge California's marriage laws by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
In the month that followed, more than 4,000 same-sex couples were married before a judge acting on petitions brought by gay marriage opponents halted the city's spree. The state Supreme Court ultimately voided those unions, but two dozen couples sued and those lawsuits led the same court last month to overturn California's ban on gay marriage.
Among the plaintiffs in those lawsuits was a couple married Monday in a Jewish ceremony in front of the Beverly Hills courthouse.
The ceremony between Robin Tyler and Diane Olson was broadcast live on three newscasts in Los Angeles.
The couple wept and pressed their foreheads together, and onlookers whooped as the marriage became valid.
