Rosie O'Donnell and longtime partner Kelli Carpenter O'Donnell swept into San Francisco Thursday afternoon to marry, the highest profile lesbian couple to take advantage of the city's decision to allow same-sex couples to marry.

After day of torrential rains the sun briefly came out as the celebrity couple entered city hall this afternoon to get their license and exchange vows briefly stopping to tell reporters that they had been thinking of marriage for some time, but made up their minds this week when President George W. Bush announced his support for a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

"I would like to thank the city of San Francisco and the mayor of San Francisco for making this available to all those law abiding loving couples," Rosie said before heading up the steps.

Rosie wore a light blue raincoat over a black pantsuit and Kelli was dressed in a tailored gray suit. Someone in the crowd that had gathered handed the couple a bouquet of spring flowers as they entered the building. 

After receiving their license they were married by San Francisco Treasurer Susan Leal in a private ceremony in the mayor's office. When they emerged from city hall hundred of people who had gathered in front of city hall cheered and applauded as the Gay Men's Chorus serenaded them.

The pair, who have been together for six years, have four children.  Kelli changed her last name to O'Donnell a year ago. The couple boarded a plane shortly after the broadcast for San Francisco where they will tie the knot this afternoon.

The former talk show queen called Bush's comments about gay marriage "the most vile and hateful words ever spoken by a sitting president." And she told GMA the  proposed amendment is "very, very, very, very shocking. And immoral."

O'Donnell also said that she and Kelli applied for spousal status in New York, where they live, but it was denied by the state.  New York State does not permit either same-sex marriage or civil unions.

She said she first realized the injustice of not allowing same-sex couples to marry during her lawsuit with Gruner & Jahr USA, the publisher of the defunct Rosie magazine. A judge ruled that neither the publisher, who initially sued, nor O'Donnell, who countersued, deserved damages. But during the trial, Kelli, was called on to testify. O'Donnell said that because Kelli did not have the legal status of a spouse she was obligated to testify against Rosie. 

"As a result, everything that I said to Kelly, every letter that I wrote her, every e-mail, every correspondence and conversation was entered into the record of this case," O'Donnell said. "After the trial, I am now, and will forever be, a total proponent of gay marriage." Even if they had a civil union, Kelli would have had to testify. 

Tomorrow, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer will ask the state Supreme Court to put an end to San Francisco's gay marriages. Yesterday, conservative group that was twice turned down in attempts to get a court order to stop San Francisco from granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples took its battle to the high court.

The California Supreme Court could issue an immediate injunction Friday halting the marriages, it deny the petitions from Lockyer and the conservatives, or it could reserve its decision until a later date.

So far nearly 4,000 same-sex couples have married since November 12 when San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom ordered the county clerk to begin issuing licenses to gay and lesbian couples.

FUENTE: 365GAY.COM

FUENTE: GLAAD

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