San Francisco streets were filled with more than a million cheering, dancing, rainbow flag waving people Sunday at the annual Gay Pride parade and celebration, made more jubilant by the recent Supreme Court rulings favoring same-sex marriage.
Newlyweds Brandy and Ashley Stonebreaker of Santa Rosa were among them, joining the parade after tying the knot at City Hall, the culmination of a five-year journey to the altar.
"It's so emotionally overwhelming," said Brandy Stonebreaker, 31, a life skills instructor. "It's like being part of history."
Her wife Ashley, 23, a Wells Fargo teller, held the couple's freshly stamped marriage certificate and said: "This is not a right that anyone is going to take away."
Organizers of the city's 43rd annual pride parade, the largest in the nation, expected as many as 1.5 million people to line the route down Market Street and fill the Civic Center Plaza, where performers sang and revelers danced.
Couples Kris Perry and Sandy Stier of Berkeley, and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo of Burbank, whose legal challenge of Prop. 8 made it possible for same-sex couples to wed, led the parade, waving from the back of convertibles.
Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin, who orchestrated the lawsuit, and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who won an Academy Award for the movie about the slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, marched alongside people with signs that read "I love marriage equality," and "We're winning equality."
Celebrity grand marshals included comedian Sarah Silverman, Cheyenne Jackson ("30 Rock") and Alex Newell ("Glee"). Loud cheers went to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Kamala Harris — straight politicians who have been vocal advocates of same-sex marriage.
San Francisco's parade lineup illustrated how mainstream support for same-sex marriage has become. Companies such as Facebook and Safeway were represented. Police officers and sheriff's deputies marched while holding hands. Politicians, families with children and straight couples also joined in.
As Sonoma County sweltered in 90-degree heat, a welcome breeze kept temperatures pleasantly in the high 70s.
Jessica Ramirez, a Santa Rosa used car dealer who has been coming to the pride celebration for the past four years, said the mood was noticeably more euphoric this year.
"The atmosphere is much more prideful, and everyone has a positive vibe this year," said Ramirez, 23. "I think people are really happy to know that they can get married if they want to and be treated as equals. It's a cool thing."
In Civic Center Plaza, young partiers danced at the Tantra Underground Dance stage and the Homo Hip Hop venue. There was a women's stage and a country western dance corral. Some of the more fringe elements exhibited behind the fenced-off Leather Alley.
Hundreds of same-sex couples lined up to get legally married at City Hall, which stayed open for weddings during the gay pride parade and celebration all weekend. Sonoma County and other jurisdictions across the state were expected to issue marriage licenses starting Monday.
A federal appeals court Friday lifted California's ban on same-sex marriage. The Supreme Court decided Wednesday that proponents of the 2008 Prop. 8 same-sex marriage ban did not have the legal right to challenge a lower court ruling that invalidated Prop. 8.
The Supreme Court also overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, meaning legally married same-sex couples will be afforded all the federal rights of married couples.
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on Sunday denied a last-ditch request from the sponsors of Prop. 8 to halt the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses, buoying the spirits of the already elated crowd at San Francisco's Civic Center.
Theresa and Angelina Arias-Dunlop, formerly of Geyserville, drove from their home in Yolo County to marry on Sunday. The parents of a 7-year-old daughter said that, because of the fluid nature of the case, they thought the decision could be reversed again and did not want to miss their chance to wed.
"We didn't want anything to happen come Monday," said Angelina, a former administrator at Ukiah High School. "We decided that, here's an opportunity. San Francisco is open today, it's pride weekend, so let's do it."
Theresa, a retail manager for Target added: "This is a huge step, but there's still work to do. We feel blessed to be given the opportunity to be treated like everyone else, to be treated as normal."
Eduardo Kaufman-Malaga, of El Cerrito, came to marry his husband, Benjamin, and stayed to take in the festival.
"It is very exciting," he said. "We feel like it's a historic day for us."
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