Hitched!: Wedding Stories from San Francisco City Hall

On Thursday, February 12, 2004, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, a lesbian couple who have been together for fifty-one years, became the first same-sex couple married at San Francisco City Hall. By March 11, when the California State Supreme Court ordered a halt to the weddings, 4.037 gay and lesbian couples had tied the knot. These couples had traveled to San Francisco by bus and plane. They had called in sick to work and packed their kids and camping gear into the backs of their cars, and headed to City Hall. They had stood in line through high wind and torrential rain, all for a chance to have their relationships legally recognized. Each couple has a unique story to tell. While the media have focused on political aspects of the ongoing marriage debate, interviewing pundits and average citizens on both sides of the issue, by and large the lives of the newlyweds—their rich, diverse, and vibrant personal histories—have remained invisible. Hitched! Wedding Stories from San Francisco City Hall introduces readers to the determined, brave, and loving couples who took center stage during the historical events at City Hall.

A poet, essayist, editor, and writing instructor, Cheryl Dumesnil earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing and a Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies at Syracuse University. Her writing has appeared in Bakunin, Barrow Street, Calyx, Louisville Review, Many Mountains Moving, and Nimrod among other literary magazines. From 1994-2001, Cheryl Dumesnil taught essay and poetry writing at Syracuse University, Santa Clara University, College of Notre Dame, and Foothill College. Currently she teaches private writing workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area. She lives in Walnut Creek, CA.