Federal Judge Presides Over Gay Marriage of Former Clerk
U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson of San Francisco presided yesterday at the wedding of two of the plaintiffs in the groundbreaking lawsuit that paved the way for gay marriages in California.
Plaintiff John Lewis, a law clerk for Henderson some 20 years ago, married his co-plaintiff and partner of 21 years, Stuart Gaffney. The judge told the San Jose Mercury News it was a historic moment. “This has progressed from a time when John was hesitant to tell me he was gay because he didn’t know how I would react, to this proud moment where he’s getting married in public,” Henderson said.
Lewis told the Recorder that Henderson has long been a hero to him. “I asked him to be there because he is my mentor and I count him as a good friend,” Lewis said. “He is just a guiding voice of wisdom for my life.”
Yesterday was the first day that same-sex marriages were allowed in California after a ruling by the state supreme court finding a constitutional right to marry. Another lawyer getting hitched yesterday was Jennifer Pizer, senior counsel in the Los Angeles office of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. She married public interest lawyer Doreena Wong, her partner of 24 years, the Recorder story says.
