GAY MARRIAGES Ruling upholds same-sex unions

One couple was moments too late.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Katharine Sprecher and Nitzye Gonzalez sobbed in the corner of a county clerk's office, wiping each others' tears away.
They had filled out a marriage application, gotten married at the Metropolitan Community Church and returned to the county with the paperwork to make it all official. But their return was just moments too late.
A judge told Multnomah County to stop issuing gay marriage licenses Tuesday -- but also ordered the state to recognize the 3,000 licenses already granted in the county.
"I was a little shell-shocked, I was expecting this day to turn out very different," Sprecher said. "I didn't realize there was going to be a ruling today. I thought we had until Thursday."
The decision by Multnomah County Circuit Judge Frank Bearden marked the first time in the nation that a judge has recognized gay marriage. An immediate appeal was expected.
Historic opinion
"These are the first legally recognized gay marriages in the country," said Dave Fidanque, the ACLU executive director in Oregon. "In no other same-sex marriages that have taken place has there been a court order saying the state must recognize them. That's what's truly historic about this opinion."
The county began allowing gay marriage March 3, making it the only place in the nation where gays could get married during the last month.
Other cities, including San Francisco and New Paltz, N.Y., also began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples but were stopped by the courts in early March.
Bearden told the county to cease issuing same-sex licenses until the Oregon Legislature has a chance to fashion a new law, perhaps allowing Vermont-style civil unions.
He gave the Oregon Legislature 90 days from the start of its next session to come up with the new law. If that doesn't happen, Multnomah County can resume issuing marriage licenses to gays and lesbians.
Special session
The Legislature could convene in Salem as early as June for a special session that was intended to focus on tax reform. But the ruling generated little enthusiasm among lawmakers, who seem leery about getting bogged down in a stalemated special session this summer.
Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat who supports civil unions, said gay marriage deserves "quiet, thorough deliberations."
"I don't think you can do that in a quickie special session," Courtney said.
House Speaker Karen Minnis, who opposes same-sex marriage, said lawmakers should meet in June to place a gay marriage ban on the statewide ballot if an initiative campaign falls short.
"The best solution would be to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman -- the definition of marriage that Oregonians have known for generations," said Minnis, a Republican.
The judge's ruling came in a lawsuit that has consolidated all the arguments over same-sex unions in hopes of a quick ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court.
The decision effectively ends gay marriage nationally, at least until May 17, when Massachusetts is slated to begin allowing gay marriage following a high court ruling there.
'Big step'
Kevin Neely, a spokesman for the Oregon attorney general's office, called Bearden's decision "a big step in what will be a bit longer process."
"Our goal from the beginning was to get a ruling from the Supreme Court, but this initial ruling does provide at least some clarity and a framework for moving to that next step," Neely said. "The real key here is to give the Legislature an opportunity to craft a law that the courts will deem constitutionally sound."
In other developments Tuesday, a California Assembly committee approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, although the bill's sponsor said such a "milestone event" didn't change what will be an uphill battle to pass it in the full Legislature.
Assemblyman Mark Leno said it was the first time a legislative body has voted to support gay marriage.
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