Gays celebrate defeat of federal gay-marriage ban proposal
posted by: Dan Viens    


(Colorado Springs-AP) - Fifty gay and lesbian couples exchanged vows today in Colorado Springs, the heartland of the Christian right, to celebrate the defeat of the federal marriage amendment.

Frank Volz, who exchanged vows with his partner Brian Lund, says it's not a religious issue, but a civil-rights issue. The two, who were in the Springs for the GayPride Fest, have been together for four years.

Several opponents of gay marriage circulated through the crowd, some carrying signs, but there was no confrontation.

The marriage vows that some couples exchanged don't carry the force of law because the state of Colorado won't issue marriage licenses for couples of the same sex. But each couple got a certificate saying the Pikes Peak Metropolitan Community Church recognizes their union and their love.