Texas couple one of hundreds likely to wed in S.F. this weekend

San Francisco is a world away from the Paradise, Texas, home of Carol and Loretta Allen. The couple, who will return to their tiny town of 441 when the weekend is over, have kept their union a secret.

They don’t celebrate their anniversary, but mark the annual “blackberry season,� which holds a special meaning for the couple, who have been together for 17 years.

This weekend, Carol, 54, and Loretta, 72, are marrying in the marbled halls of San Francisco, one of hundreds of gay and lesbian couples who are expected to come from across the state and nation to marry this weekend.

“We’d never thought we’d see this in our lifetime,� said Carol Allen, who took Loretta’s last name nine years ago but goes by her maiden name at work.

The couple are in town visiting Carol’s nephew, but stayed to get married after the announcement late Friday that county officials would begin issuing licenses immediately.

The pair, wearing bright pink shirts, waited patiently in line. Loretta pressed the license forms against a wall, furiously scribbling to fill in the blanks.

In the first hour after opening Saturday morning, the San Francisco clerk’s office had already issued about 100 marriage licenses. As the office stayed open late into the night Friday, the city issued 81 licenses and performed at least 55 weddings, said Carmen Chu, San Francisco’s assessor-recorder.

Chu said San Francisco was the only Bay Area county issuing licenses over the weekend, after an appeals court bypassed a normal waiting period late Friday afternoon and lifted a hold on a trial judge’s order that declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

“It couldn’t come a moment too soon,� said Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who sparked the legal effort for gay marriage in California when he was San Francisco mayor.

“What extraordinary timing, right before [gay] pride weekend,� Newsom said. “All that time, all the struggle, and the moment has arrived.�

Supporters of Proposition 8 were furious that the 9th Circuit acted before the normal waiting period. ProtectMarriage, the sponsors of the ballot measure, has 25 days from the ruling to ask for reconsideration.

“It is part and parcel of the utter lawlessness in which this whole case has been prosecuted, said Chapman Law professor John Eastman, a supporter of Proposition 8. “Normally, courts let the parties kind of pursue their legal remedies before they issue a mandate.�

He said the 25-day period for asking the Supreme Court to reconsider still applied and a rehearing, though extremely unlikely, remained a technical possibility.

“Tonight it is chaos and lawlessness, and anyone who is concerned about the rule of law ought to be deeply troubled by what happened here,� the constitutional law professor said.

Andy Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage, expressed astonishment and dismay.

“I am not sure what we do at this moment,� he said. “It is 4:30 p.m. on a Friday. I am not sure what can be done at this point. This is beyond belief. I don’t think anybody expected this. The Supreme Court decision is not even final, and yet the 9th Circuit is rushing forward.�

Some in line at the San Francisco city clerk’s office Saturday expressed fear that another legal challenge or court order could put off marriages yet again in California.

But not the Allens.

“What can happen now?� said Carol with a chuckle, waiting to be called to exchange her vows with Loretta.

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