Miss Gingerbread, Vancouver
Age and Occupation: 32, Psychologist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Software Engineer
Engagement Date: Sometime in the fall of 2004
Wedding Date: July, 2008
Blogging Since: March 24, 2008
Venue: Rainforest wedding, beachfront restaurant reception
About Me: I recently moved to Canada from Southern California. Trying to plan a wedding in a new city, not to mention a new country, is tough, but the fact that we can get legally married here more than makes up for it! The wedding will be an opportunity for most of our family and friends to see our new city for the first time so it will be both a wedding and a reunion. Besides my future wife, I am also madly in love with a good bargain, Swedish pastries, Tivo, and my two dogs and calico cat (in no particular order).
The Verdict is (Almost) In
May 15th, 2008 @ 8:26 am by Miss Gingerbread
I was going to blog about the creation of our wedding rings, but I’ve been diverted by something big that has my undivided attention. The California Supreme Court is going to give its ruling on whether same-sex marriage should be legalized in the state on May 15, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. PST. I’m a nervous wreck.
It’s been a long journey. Many of my friends were married in San Francisco during what many now refer to as “the Winter of Love” in early 2004.
I hugged many couples as they cried when their marriage licenses were deemed void in August of that same year. Can you imagine the government informing you that you are no longer married less than 6 months after your wedding day? It was heartbreaking.
In March 2005, another judge ruled the denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples as unconstitutional in the state of California. Again, there were hugs and tears and hope. That case was appealed and overturned. Now we wait for the most important verdict of all.
Miss Gingerbread circa 2005.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the California Supreme Court’s historic 1948 ruling that found it unconstitutional for the state to restrict access to marriage based on the race of the spouses. Last year was the 40th anniversary of when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to end anti-miscegination laws when it ruled on the Loving vs. Virginia case. Just this month, Milred Loving died. She believed that just as couples should not be discriminated against due to race, they should also not be discriminated against because of sex. My parents were an interracial couple, so I appreciate the trail that the Lovings blazed for us and I appreciate her support for our current struggle.
If the California Supreme Court rules in favour of marriage equality, Miss GB 2.0 and I still won’t be able to come back to live in California since immigration is a federal benefit of marriage. But it will do my heart good to know that the state that my family has lived in for over 100 years believes in equality for all of its citizens. It will feel like my home state is leaving the light on for us. And I will celebrate for all the couples in California who will be able to get married (in some cases for the second time) to the person they love.
Whether the verdict is in our favour or not, there will be a statewide Celebration of Love and Family on Thursday evening, May 15. I wish I could be there.
81 Responses to “The Verdict is (Almost) In”
I’ll be on a break from teaching then… hope to catch what I’m crossing my fingers will be good news for CA and all of us. Thanks for the post, Miss GB. 
I just got goosebumps reading your post gingerbread. I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed for all the hopeful couples in love.
Thanks so much for the beautiful post, Miss GB. As half of an interracial couple myself, I find it so hard to believe that we would have been breaking the law just a few decades ago, and see same-sex marriage the same way– how can love be illegal?? I have my fingers crossed that my home state will come through with the right decision….
Fingers crossed…I am from Massachusetts and I remember tearing up and feeling so much pride in, well, humanity, really…watching all those couples getting married on the lawn of the Courthouse, some after decades of dedicating their lives to each other. It was beautiful and I hope California makes things right for all of their citizens.
Miss GB, I love reading your posts, and it always makes me tear up. Though I’m marrying a man, so many of my best friends are gay, and having them at the wedding, many with their long-term partners, I feel sad that I cannot make it so that they can do exactly what we are NOW - in any state! (though I’m sure they would all laugh at me and tell me they’re not crazy enough, like me, to get married now - we are all young). And I am proud that we are there to support each other. I’ll be waiting for good news in CA.
I’m soooooooooo excited and hopeful for EVERYONE in California right now. How AWESOME it must be to live in a state that recognizes everyone’s right to be married - gay or straight. I’m bisexual and I am marrying a man, but it strikes me as ridiculously unfair that if my fiance’s soul would have happened to be in a female body my state (Michigan - boo) wouldn’t recognize our relationship.
I second the goosebumps Miss Pineapple.
Every time I see that picture of the older woman in the center of your collage ( I think its the second time you’ve used it) it just breaks my heart.
Best wishes Mis GB
I, too, am from Massachusetts and one of the things that amazes me is how quickly the issue went away once the decision was finally made. Life is normal and families are thriving, not dying as predicted.
I continue to pray for California and for the couples involved as well as all states; that they would recognise and uphold the civil rights of all citizens.
Hi Miss Gingerbread!
I’ve been an avid WB reader for the past six months but this is my first comment. I’m so happy you’re on the site (not that I don’t love ALL the bees) and I’m waiting with my fingers crossed in southern california this morning! Thanks for bringing it up and lets all hope for good news
crossed fingers and tons of hope and good wishes to all those cali couples.
i can’t even begin to hope that anything like that would happen here in the midwest anytime soon, but we have to start somewhere, huh?
Ugh! I wish you the best!
I just watched the film “I Can’t Marry You” and it was pretty heart-wrenching.
How very odd that it has only been 60 years since interracial couples were allowed to marry, and yet, hardly anyone thinks twice about interracial couples today, especially in California.
I hope one day soon to make the same statement about same sex couples…how odd and backward this country was not allowing them to marry.
Wonderful post Miss GB. I hope and pray (AND VOICE, AND VOTE) for the hope of same sex couples as often as it comes up.
Love is Love. If they are willing to commit then why does it matter the sex. I find it funny that they allow people every year to get married that end up getting divorced a year or two later. Hopefully the ruling today will allow these relationships that stand the test of time to get the same rights as everyone else.
I met a male couple in San Fran a few years ago that got married durning the winter of love and they seemed a lot closer and showed more love towards each other then most of the striaght married people I know. They were awesome people. It just shows that you can love someone as a husband or a wife even if they are the same sex as you.
Nothing would make me happier than a decision from CA today legalizing same-sex marriage. It’s a decision that’s long overdue and I would be so proud of my home state. Every person should have the right to marry whomever they wish. I will be praying about the decision today and I hope it’s one we can all get behind.
I’ll be watching too! Thank you for letting us know about it!
Just wanted to say what a beautiful post this is, Miss GB. I’ve got my finger on “refresh” and am hoping and praying for good news. I’ll echo what everyone above has already said: it’s senseless to me that this is even an issue. Here’s hoping in forty years (or, you know, way less) that we’re looking back and shaking our heads that it ever was.
Thank you for all of your supportive comments and for keeping me company waiting for the ruling. 30 more minutes to go! Ahhh…stress! I can’t concentrate!
I hadn’t known this decision is coming out today . . . thank you for the post. Sitting here in San Francisco praying we are the next state (after MA) to extend civil marriage rights to ALL couples! It’s long past time to end this discrimination.
my thoughts are with you and the other same sex couples I know who could not make it to San Francisco for the winter of love.
as long as there is love, who are we to judge…
Oh, those photos made me a bit teary-eyed! Love is love, no matter the sex of the couple. I’m crossing my fingers, toes, legs and hair for a favorable verdict!
I will be very happy and proud of Cali today if the decision is positive !
GO CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We did it!!!!
Here is the decision:
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S147999.PDF
Congratulations! It is about time!
Tears in my eyes right now. I’m so proud of my home state.
YAY!
Since the decision is 172 pages long . . . the critical page is page 120.
Excellent post Miss. GB!
good job, california! 2 states down, 48 more to go.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh! *cart wheels* *confetti*
@Amy H.: Thanks! You broke the good news for me, b/c I was watching CNN as they went on for 5 minutes about how the court ruled against same-sex marriage. I guess they didn’t get to page 120 before reporting 
Okay, I am going to go pass out now.
YAHOO!! Way to go California!
HOORAYY!!!!!!!
YAY!
Here’s an article from SF Gate.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/15/BAGAVNC5K.DTL
Hooray!!
Yay! Yay! Yay!!! I am SOOOOO glad CA decided the *right* way. What a wonderful, happy day.
Way to go, California!!!!
Hooray fellow Californian’s…. one more wait until June and it’s close to being free & clear!
way to go cali!!!!!!!
It’s Official! The California Supreme Court overturned the ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional! Hooray for equality!
Woo-Hoo!!
YAAAAAYYYY!!!
“Domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage, the justices ruled 4-3 in an opinion written by Chief Justice Ron George.”
I’m so happy for all the couples and those of us that are their supporters who struggled to legalize gay-marriages in California! What a victory!! I <3 my state!!
Ok I don’t even know you and I just saw this on CNN.com and immediately thought of you, and I’m kind of tearing up right now!! Congrats!!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/15/same.sex.marriage/index.html
Hurray for CA!! Now the 48 other states in the union need to seriously get on this!
I, too, live in CA, and just heard the news…so I’m so excited! CONGRATS!!!
I am so proud to be a Californian right now! This is HUGE!
whoo hoo!!! just heard the news and immediately thought of you! =)
Yay, I’m proud of my Cali roots as well!
YAYAYAYAY I wish i lived in Cali ! such good news ! !
Bravo, bravo California Supreme Court!!!
Miss GB, I so didn’t mean to step on your toes putting in my comment — I was just so thrilled! I posted without thinking. I’m an attorney and so had the page where the court releases decisions already up. The first few pages did make it seem like they might have been leaning in the other direction — but still, how bizarre about CNN.
Hooray for California!
im a Californian native too!
wow. i wonder what is going to happen next.
are people going to rush to the court house/altar?
or wait to plan it out?
will a lot of couples move out here to live as married people?
so many possibilities!
congratulations!!!
@Amy H.: Oh no, not at all! I was thrilled that Weddingbee could help pass on the correct info as the news I was hearing was inaccurate. Thank you for jumping in!!!
oooh oooh!
i just thought of something else!
marriage licenses will have to get updated too. right now they are already very lopsided in regards to gender.
i can’t wait to see what they will do with the wording. i think it should say:
“Person 1″ and “Person 2″ or Spouse 1 and 2
instead of bride and groom.
what do you think?
this is so exciting.
@Lety: On the BC marriage application it simples says “Party” instead of bride or groom. Woo hoo! Party! I like that I’ll have to make a whole other post on what happens next because the answer, in short, is A LOT (both good and bad).
Yay! This is wonderful news.
Hopefully, Californians will notice, as Mrs. Corn noted, that life and families of all kinds are all pretty normal here in Massachusetts, almost 4 years later, and the vote in November will go this way or not even occur.
go california! when i read the headline on the ny times i cried tears of joy.
So excited!! Go California!!
Yay!!!!!!!
I’m glad to see that the ban was struck down! It’s absolutely great and indeed a necessary step forward today for equality for all families.
Good. Newsom got it right: “It’s about time”
This may sound silly, but since the ‘04 ruling, I’ve kinda had a hitch about buying into the institution of marriage. Hadn’t stopped my engagement, and can’t claim it as a sole source of our ongoing wedding delays… but we’ve discussed considering how we could wed, but declare ourselves legally protesting instead of legally married… Maybe this puts a stop to that, but we’ll have to keep watching
It really is about time. I’m glad that everyone will be celebrating this victory at the Celebration of Love and Family tonight. 2 down, 48 to go!
I hadn’t logged on for my daily weddingbee read when I heard the news, and I immediately thought of you, Miss GB. This is long overdue, and I am so happy for all of the people who can finally be married now! Congratulations!!!!
I love love love love my home state. This brings tears to my eyes. Equality rules. Congrats GB and GB 2.0. About flipping time.
From the SF Gate article: ” “Even the most familiar and generally accepted of social policies and traditions often mask an unfairness and inequality that frequently is not recognized or appreciated by those not directly harmed,” the chief justice wrote. ”
I’m so proud of California, my home state, right now.
YAY FOR CALI!!!
I was so happy to hear the news today. I think it is a beautiful thing. It will be so great for EVERYONE to have the simple right to marry, just like my FH and I have. It makes me very proud to be a bay area resident!
If the government is worried about the institution of marriage and family, they shouldn’t let straight people in Hollywood get married or procreate!! Yeayyyyyyyy for Cali to get it right and lead the way for the rest of the country!
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