History's dawn

When Sean Rayshel wakes today, he expects to feel
just a little different.

In the 11 years since he came to terms with his homosexuality, he
never thought marriage - or even broad societal tolerance of who he
is - was in his future.

Now the possibilities seem limitless.

"I'm elated," said Rayshel, 29, a Palm Springs resident who grew up
in Riverside and is in a six-year relationship. "This is the last
great prejudice, laws against gay people, and it's being taken down.

There's no turning back."

While Rayshel and his partner won't marry today (they plan to marry
this summer), thousands of same-sex couples statewide are expected to
legally tie the knot thanks to a California Supreme Court decision
last month.

How many will get hitched in San Bernardino County is unclear. No
churches could be found that planned to perform ceremonies today.
County officials have about 35 appointments to perform ceremonies,
although they would not specify how many were same-sex.

But the numbers are less important than the historical shift, said
activists and gay advocates.

"This is historic, very similar to what we've gone through as a
people in the past with securing rights for racial minorities," said
Loring Fiske-Phillips, president of Redlands United Church
of Christ, where a ceremony uniting two men is scheduled for July.

"This recognizes that gays and lesbians are people who deserve the
same rights as the rest of society."

No one is mistaking San Bernardino County with regions featuring more
robust gay communities, like San Francisco or Los Angeles County.

Marriages will occur at the county offices on Hospitality Lane in San
Bernardino, and some area churches are declaring their doors open to
same-sex marriages.

To some, law is merely catching up with life.

"We've done commitment ceremonies, or holy union ceremonies, for
years for gay and lesbian couples," said Petra
Malleis-Sternberg, senior pastor of First Congregational
United Church of Christ in San Bernardino. "The only difference now
will be the (marriage) license."

Not everyone is rejoicing in the victory for gays and lesbians who
want to marry. The court ruling notwithstanding, the issue deeply
divides Californians, with polls still showing a too-close-to-call
split.

More than a million petition signatures were put on a proposed
constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriages on the November
ballot.

Many government and religious leaders openly disagree with the
court's ruling.

County Supervisor Gary Ovitt, for instance, has no plans
to attend any events, said spokesman Burt Southard.
"He's opposed to gay marriage," Southard said. "He thinks marriage
should be between a man and a woman, period."

The Catholic Church also is counted among the opponents to today's
historic developments.

"Because marriage between a man and a woman is first and foremost a
sacrament of the Catholic faith, we are obviously disappointed in the
redefinition of marriage by the California Supreme Court," said John
Andrews, spokesman for the Diocese of San Bernardino.
But Andrews added that although the church disagrees with same-sex
marriage, it still views gays as "children of God."

"We believe every person should be treated with respect and dignity,"
Andrews said.