Twenty years after gay marriage was legalized in San Francisco, one of the first couples to get married will renew their vows Friday evening.
It is part of the celebration of the world’s largest pride flag. “Illuminate” will once again use lasers to form the world’s largest pride flag on Market Street.
During the celebration, John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney declare their love for each other once again.
“I pronounce you legally wedded husband and wife for life,” and shivers went through my body,” Lewis said, describing the first time the couple got married 20 years ago.
He said that at that moment he felt like the government was finally treating him like a human being and honoring his love for his partner.
“Renewing our vows just takes us back to that place and time from the past,” Gaffney said. “When I think about expressing my love and devotion to this man, I think of the first time I said these words at City Hall.”
When the two first met in 1987, they didn’t know if they would ever get married.
“It was a dream, but a distant dream,” Lewis said, recalling the late 1980s.
On February 12, 2004, that dream would unexpectedly come true. Lewis was in the right place and at the right time: a community event at San Francisco City Hall.
“I came to the meeting and learned something extraordinary, San Francisco had just burst open the doors for loving, committed gay couples to get married,” Lewis said. “I was literally shocked.”
He immediately called Gaffney, who was at work.
“It was the most urgent marriage proposal you’ve ever heard. ‘Go to City Hall now, now, now!'” Gaffney said, holding up their wedding photo. “You can tell we’re a little starry-eyed, and we’re actually better dressed today than we were on this very spontaneous wedding day, but we just couldn’t be happier.”
Just six months later, the California Supreme Court ruled the marriages null and void. They would not be able to remarry until June 2008.
“Our marriage certificate,” Lewis said, holding it up. “Most people put this in a drawer somewhere and never think about it. But to us, this is a treasure.”
Over the past two decades, the couple has continued to be at the forefront of the same-sex marriage movement, even launching a nonprofit organization to educate people in the United States and around the world about the importance of LGBTQ+ marriages.
“In addition to our personal vows, we have also pledged that we will do everything we can to make this a reality for anyone who wants it,” Lewis said.
They say the fight is not over, but they will continue to celebrate the victories, including the right to renew their vows and love one another freely and openly.
