Petrelis Files

Gay Weddings Disrupted by Haters at SF City Hall

Do you supposed the men who interrupted a few gay wedding ceremonies at City Hall recently believe that marriage is a sacred institution? If they do, then why were they trampling on the institution as more people were trying to enter into it?

The Chronicle ran two briefs about the disruptions and how the sheriff's office is handling the situation, but I don't recall it getting proper attention so I'll publicize the briefs here. If we knew the dates, times and locations in City Hall when the disruptions occurred, then we could file a Sunshine Act request. I'd like to see the surveillance tapes of the protests, just to be an after-the-fact witness.

From Tuesday's Chronicle:

Many same-sex couples have waited for decades to legally marry, but evidently a few protesters thought they would be able to get in their way.

Sheriff's deputies walked a number of protesters out of City Hall when they interrupted ceremonies on Tuesday. Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom, said it wasn't immediately clear how many weddings were interrupted.

And this is excerpted from Thursday's Chronicle, the paper edition:

We told you Tuesday about some wedding crashers at City Hall, and now we've gotten more details. Two same-sex weddings were interrupted Tuesday afternoon, one shortly before 2 p.m. and one twenty minutes later.

In both instances, same-sex couples were saying their vows when two different men approached them and screamed at them. Sheriff's deputies nearby responded promptly, admonished the men for disrupting city business and escorted them out of City Hall. Neither man was arrested.

Eileen Hirst, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said she didn't know what the men were shouting, but she assumes they were supporters of Prop. 8, which would ban same-sex marriages in California ...

"Disrupting somebody's wedding is deplorable behavior," Ballard said. "If these protesters believe that shouting during a wedding ceremony is a smart way to make their point, they are sorely mistaken."

Ballard said security at City Hall will be ramped up if there's any indication the protesters are planning to return.

We really should get copies of the surveillance tapes and put them out on the web. I'll contact the sheriff's office about it on Monday.