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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Hundreds of Gay, Lesbian Couples Flocking to San Francisco

Aired February 16, 2004 - 05:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: California hasn't seen such a rush since gold was discovered there. Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples are flocking to San Francisco to tie the knot even though the legality of those weddings still in doubt.
Our Miguel Marquez has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And to those of you who have traveled from afar, welcome to San Francisco.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to San Francisco and wait in line. For gays and lesbians, the wait didn't seem to matter. The promise of a marriage license made it all worth it.

SHIRLEY CRAWFORD, TRAVELED FROM PHOENIX: It's going up on our wall.

SUE DANISH, TELEVISED FROM PHOENIX: It's going to be framed and shown to every member, family member and friend. And they will cheer.

CRAWFORD: And some day, when it is totally legal and nobody's fighting it, we'll have made history.

MARQUEZ: It's history where you had to take a number.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can only process 400 couples a day.

MARQUEZ: Hundreds more were told to stay and wait. Then they were told to go home.

RICK TUSCANY, TRAVELED FROM MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA: The lack of arrangements is frustrating because not only us, but everybody's walking around not knowing what to do, not knowing where to be or from one side of the building to the other side of the building. It's mass confusion.

MARQUEZ: But as newlywed after newlywed descended city hall's stairs, it only encouraged the self-dubbed hopeful overflows to stay put.

JENNIFER KEATS, TELEVISED FROM ATLANTA TO GET LICENSE: I think it's sort of a bit of a political act, you know? This is something that we've waited for a long time and we want to do what we can to help move the movement. MARQUEZ: But opponents of gay marriage say the movement will fail and the marriages are illegal. They're going to court to stop the granting of licenses and make those already given null and void. San Francisco's mayor argues the state constitution allows for gay marriage and one legal scholar says if California courts agree with the city, then federal law could be challenged.

PROF. ERWIN CHEMERINSKY, USC LAW SCHOOL: I have no doubt that if these marriage licenses are allowed to stand, that will then lead to constitutional challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act. And those challenges will resolve whether other states have to recognize same- sex marriages issued in California or Massachusetts or elsewhere.

MARQUEZ (on camera): The San Francisco County recorder assessor says that over 1,600 marriage licenses have been granted to gay and lesbian couples and they say they'll continue granting licenses up until the injunction on Tuesday and they'll only stop if a judge makes them.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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