Gay couples tie the knot.

Byline: Edward Russo The Register-Guard

Basking in the warm wishes of friends and relatives, two same-sex couples were married Saturday in Eugene, the first legally recognized wedding ceremony of homosexuals in the city's history.

Dr. Sarah Hendrickson and attorney Gretchen Miller exchanged vows in a joint ceremony at the Hilton Eugene, along with dental laboratory owner Tim Smith and urban planner Kent Kullby.

"I now recognize you and honor you as spouses, and pronounce you married," the Rev. Carolyn Colbert of the Unitarian Universalist Church said, prompting rousing applause from more than 150 well wishers.

The two couples got marriage licenses on Wednesday in Portland from Multnomah County, the first county in Oregon joining San Francisco and a handful of other jurisdictions across the country to sanction same-sex marriages.

The couples spent the next two days hastily planning the joint ceremony. It took place in a 12th-floor conference room overlooking downtown Eugene with a standing-room-only crowd, plus reporters and photographers.

Friends and relatives said the wedding was a long overdue granting of rights for the couples, who have long been committed to each other. Hendrickson and Miller have been together for 24 years; Smith and Kullby 13.

"Sarah, Gretchen, Tim and Kent, I'm glad that none of you have rushed into this," Colbert said, to laughter from the audience.

The wedding, however happy for the participants and onlookers, is part of a trend that has set off legal and political firestorms across the country and in Oregon.

Multnomah County's action has prompted a lawsuit by a newly formed group, the Defense of Marriage Coalition, which wants to block more same- sex marriage licenses and to invalidate ones already given. A hearing on the group's request for a temporary restraining order to block the marriages is scheduled for Monday afternoon in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Gay marriage opponents have filed paperwork with the Secretary of State's Office to start a pair of initiative petitions that would bar same-sex marriages. Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers has been asked for a legal opinion on the right of homosexuals to marry. And Lane County commissioners have requested that the county's attorney look into the question.

Inspired by events in San Francisco, the Oregon chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and Basic Rights Oregon earlier this year asked Multnomah County officials if the state's constitution requires granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples. That request eventually led to Multnomah County's decision.

Wedding speaker, David Fidanque, executive director of Oregon ACLU, said same-sex marriage is difficult for many Oregonians and many Americans to accept.

But Fidanque predicted that Multnomah County's decision will be upheld by language in Article I, Section 20 of Oregon constitution, which prevents granting privileges to some citizens but not others.

"These marriages that have been taking place since Wednesday are for keeps," he said. "We believe they will be around for a very, very long time."

Fidanque, after the half-hour ceremony, said legal and political battles over same-sex marriage could last years. "We think we have an excellent chance of prevailing on both the legal merits and in the political arena, but it's probably going to go on awhile," he said. "In the meantime, there are liable to be dramatic ups and downs."

Instead of accepting wedding gifts, the couples asked guests to contribute to the ACLU and Basic Rights Oregon.

After the ceremony, Kullby said he and Smith were "overjoyed to be married."

An also effusive Hendrickson said, "We're very, very happy. Gretchen and I have been together for 24 years. So next year we'll be able to have our first anniversary and our 25th anniversary at the same time. And not everybody can have that."

CAPTION(S):

Same-sex couples (from left) Gretchen Miller, Sarah Hendrickson, Kent Kullby and Tim Smith celebrate together after being married on Saturday. Tim Smith (left) places a ring on Kent Kullby during their wedding ceremony. W e d d i n g c e r e m o n i e s