Posted on 02/26/2004 3:02:12 PM PST by Therapist
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Rosie O'Donnell married her longtime girlfriend Thursday, taking what she called a proud stand for gay civil rights in the city where more than 3,300 other same-sex couples have tied the knot since Feb. 12.
"I want to thank the city of San Francisco for this amazing stance the mayor has taken for all the people here, not just us but all the thousands and thousands of loving, law-abiding couples," the former talk show host, holding a large bouquet of purple and yellow flowers, said after she and Kelli Carpenter emerged from their brief ceremony inside Mayor Gavin Newsom's office.
Earlier Thursday, O'Donnell announced her wedding plans on ABC's "Good Morning America," just two days after President Bush called for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
She said the president's call is what inspired her to come to San Francisco, where city officials continue to perform same-sex weddings even as state courts are considering the legality of those marriages.
"I think the actions of the president are, in my opinion, the most vile and hateful words ever spoken by a sitting president," O'Donnell, who lives in the New York City region, said on the program. "I am stunned and I'm horrified.
"I find this proposed amendment very, very, very, very shocking. And immoral. And, you know, if civil disobedience is the way to go about change, then I think a lot of people will be going to San Francisco. And I hope they put more people on the steps to marry as many people as show up. And I hope everyone shows up."
O'Donnell and Carpenter, who have four children together, walked hand in hand down the grand marble staircase in the rotunda to thunderous applause from hundreds of spectators who came to witness the city's first celebrity same-sex wedding. O'Donnell was wearing a powder-blue blazer, black shirt and black pants; Carpenter wore a gray pantsuit.
As the San Francisco's Gay Men's Chorus serenaded the couple with a few bars of "Going to the Chapel," O'Donnell smiled and said, "We really did. We got married."
O'Donnell said she decided to marry Carpenter, a former dancer and marketing director at Nickelodeon, during her recent trial in New York over the now-defunct Rosie magazine. During the case, she referred to Carpenter as her wife.
"We applied for spousal privilege and were denied it by the state. As a result, everything that I said to Kelli, every letter that I wrote her, every e-mail, every correspondence and conversation was entered into the record," O'Donnell said. "After the trial, I am now and will forever be a total proponent of gay marriage."
BWAAAAAAHAHA!
REQUIREMENTS FOR OBTAINING A MARRIAGE LICENSE IN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO:
4. Appointments require a payment of $82 at the time of booking. Absolutely no refunds will be given.
5. A convenience fee of $5.00 is applied on all credit card payments. Visa and MasterCard accepted.
6. The couple along with a maximum of 2 witnesses/guests must arrive at the INFORMATION DESK at City Hall, Room 168 to CHECK-IN at the scheduled time. Couples arriving more than 10 minutes after their scheduled time will not be served and will be required to schedule a new appointment and pay the marriage license fee again.
7. 72-HOUR RE-SCHEDULING POLICY - If you cannot make your appointment, you may reschedule within 60 days of the date of the original appointment. However, you must provide us with at least 72 hours notice. You may reschedule your appointment by visiting our website at http://www.sfgov.org/countyclerk (confirmation number would be required), contacting us via e-mail at county.clerk@sfgov.org or phone (415) 554-4955. Failure to meet this criteria will require a new marriage license appointment and fee to be paid.
The bold print is part of their document. Notice that there are several references to repaying the fee. What a way to make some bucks.
I hope her "wife" sues her for half of everything during the "divorce." .....But what'll happen then is obvious -- Rosie will claim the marriage was illegal, so she doesn't owe her ex-"partner" squat.
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