• Midnight unions for gay couples as Colorado law takes effect

    Brennan Linsley / AP

    Just after midnight, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock performs a civil union vows ceremony for Sonja Semion, center, and her partner Courtney Law at the Webb Municipal Building.

    By Alexandra Tilsley, The Associated Press

    The first gay couple granted a civil union in Colorado said their vows before hundreds of people early Wednesday morning at a downtown Denver municipal building, where eager couples and members of the public gathered to celebrate the first legal unions.

    The new law legalizing civil unions took effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and both Denver and Boulder began issuing licenses immediately. 

    Fran and Anna Simon were the first to receive a civil union certificate. Wearing the white wedding dresses they wore at their commitment ceremony seven years ago and joined by their five-year-old son Jeremy, Fran and Anna received their license from a clerk at 12:02 a.m., following an expectant countdown to midnight led by other couples. Minutes later they were joined in a ceremony officiated by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.

    "Our commitment doesn't change, but we will have a burden lifted off our shoulders," Anna Simon said. "Loving and committed couples need legal protections."

    The statewide advocacy group One Colorado hosted the festivities, and the Denver clerk's office remained open until 3 a.m. to issue civil union licenses to couples eager to take advantage of their rights under the new law.

    Couples were ushered into the clerk's office in small groups, where they filled out paperwork and received their certificate, a moment that for many came with a quick kiss, a squeeze of hands or a few tears.

    Signed certificates in hand, couples were then joined in official ceremonies performed before supporters and other couples in the atrium of the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building.

    U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette joined Hancock and local judges and magistrates in officiating civil union ceremonies. DeGette, a long-time supporter of gay rights, said she earned her clergy status online specifically to participate in Wednesday morning's festivities.

    "Members of the GLBT community are the same as everyone else — they want loving, permanent relationships," she said.

    Hancock said he was honored to be part of the landmark event.

    "I've been a part of the effort to legalize civil unions in Colorado now for several years. I feel a tremendous amount of pride for the people of Denver to work with their legislators to finally pass this piece of legislation to allow people to love and live as they so choose," he said. 

    Elsewhere in Colorado, the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder remained open until 2 a.m. to offer licenses, while other counties waited until after daybreak to start issuing civil union licenses. El Paso County will begin issuing them at 8 a.m. without any fanfare while some Pueblo County officials and advocates plan an 11 a.m. rally on the steps of the county courthouse followed by a mass civil union ceremony.

    Colorado is the eighth state to have civil unions or similar laws. Nine states and the District of Columbia allow gay marriage.

    Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the bill in March, marking the culmination of a dramatic shift in Colorado, where in 1992 voters approved a ban on discrimination protection for gays and in 2006 made gay marriage illegal under the state constitution.

    But for many gay couples and gay rights advocates, the fight is not over.

    Anna and Fran Simon, for example, who testified numerous times in favor of the civil union legislation, say they hope to get the chance to wear their wedding dresses one more time.

    "Like most people growing up, you have a dream of falling in love and getting married, not getting a civil union," Anna Simon said.

    Colorado's civil unions law allows unmarried couples, both gay and heterosexual, the ability to form civil unions and get rights similar to those of married couples. They include transferring property, making medical decisions, adopting children and qualifying for health insurance and survivor benefits. 

    Related:

    13 key moments in the Supreme Court argument over gay marriage

    Supreme Court likely to advance gay marriage but stop short of sweeping ruling

    © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

  • Gov. Christie: I'm with Obama on gay marriage

    Gov. Chris Christie, R-NJ., joins Morning Joe to discuss Wednesday night's GOP debate in Arizona, why he thinks Rick Santorum had an "awful night" at the debate, and why he vetoed a bill allowing same-sex marriage in New Jersey.

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    Following his veto of a bill allowing gay marriage in his state, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie accused Democrats of playing politics with the issue and said his stance is no different than President Obama's.

    "I have the exact same position as the president … The Democrats in my state are criticizing me, saying my feet are firmly planted on the wrong side of justice. I said yesterday, 'Yeah, my feet are firmly planted right next to President Obama." And they don’t criticize him," Christie said on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe."

    Christie defended his view that voters should be the ones who decide what defines marriage in his state.

     

    "Even though it’s against my belief on this, I’m willing to be governed on it [by the voters]," Christie said.

    Last Friday, Christie vetoed a bill that would have allowed gay marriage in the state. The Republican governor accompanied his veto with a call for lawmakers to appoint an advocate for same-sex couples under the state's existing civil union law.

    Obama, on the other hand, has been coy on the subject of gay marriage, Christie insisted. Obama has supported strengthening civil unions, just as he has, but hasn’t gone further than that, Christie said.

    "The president has hidden on this issue," Christie told MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. "The president opposes same-sex marriage."

    Harold Ford, Jr., a former Democratic congressman, also on the show, pointed out that Obama applauded New York’s decision to approve gay marriage.

    "So he applauds other people’s courage, but doesn’t have any of his own," Christie shot back.

    Christie reiterated that he would respect the people’s will if the measure passed in a statewide referendum.

    "You need three-fifths of the state Legislature to get it on the ballot, and I’ve called on every Republican to vote yes, to put it on the ballot," he said.

    "Morning Joe" contributor Jonathan Capehart, an openly gay Washington Post columnist, confronted Christie.

    "I heard you say that you have your feet firmly planted next to President Obama on this issue, but the key difference between you and the president is that while you support putting the civil rights of that minority up for a public referendum, the president is not in favor of that," Capehart said.

    "Has he said that, Jonathan? … Have you heard him say it?" asked Christie. "He’s silent on this issue like he is on every issue that is difficult for him."

    This article includes reporting by msnbc.com's Elizabeth Chuck and Reuters.

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