THE pairs of champagne flutes sat inside their boxes, unwrapped on the shelves. Each one was marked “bride”.
They were meant for same-sex couples eager to toast to their nuptial joy in California.
But wedding bells have stopped ringing since last month when residents in the Golden State voted “no” to gay marriages, overturning a Supreme Court ruling in May that sanctioned such unions.
The marriage ban, known as Proposition 8, made it clear that only a “marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California”.
Since Proposition 8 was passed on Nov 4, merchandise for same-sex marriages in bridal and gift shops have had no takers.
“Business is bad,” said Arturo Cobos, the manager of Kard Zone, which specialises in “cards, gifts and fun stuff” in the gay Castro neighbourhood of San Francisco.
The shop has been around for two decades, catering to both straight and gay people looking for birthday or anniversary gifts. Cute bodysuits are available for babies, inscribed with the words “I Love My Dads”.
But with the marriage ban on gays, “his-and-his” stuff (or “hers-and-hers”) remained untouched in the store, which also sells wedding cards depicting two bridal gowns; or a pair of tuxedos linking arms with one another.
“Some people are buying them as souvenirs, but perhaps we will have to move the stock to the store room later,” Cobos said.
A rainbow flag perched outside Kard Zone, which displayed what seemed now an outdated banner congratulating the newlyweds.
“There has been no more weddings since Proposition 8. This has really affected sales,” Cobos said.
A native of Mexico City, Cobos has lived in San Francisco for seven years. He attended the wedding of a good friend when the Supreme Court had allowed such marriages.
“It was a lovely ceremony,” he said, almost wistfully.
“They have been together for donkey’s years, but who knows what happens to those vows now?”
News reports estimated that almost 18,000 same-sex marriages took place in California this year since the court ruling. The legality of such vows is a big question mark now.
When Proposition 8 was passed last month, the streets of San Francisco and other major cities throughout the US witnessed massive demonstrations by supporters of gay marriages.
In the Castro neighbourhood, posters urging people to “Vote No on Prop 8 – Unfair and Wrong” are still seen on the window panes of many buildings.
The group behind Proposition 8, Protect Marriage, a coalition of religious and community leaders and pro-family organisations, thinks otherwise.
Protect Marriage stated on its website that the marriage ban was not an attack on gay couples, and neither did it diminish the rights that same-sex couples have under California’s existing domestic partner law.
“California law already grants domestic partners all the rights that a state can grant to a married couple,” according to Protect Marriage.
“Gays have a right to their private lives, but not to change the definition of marriage for everyone else.”
The group explained, too, that California voters had approved a similar proposition in 2000 by more than 61% in which they had defined that a marriage in California was between a man and a woman.
However, the court battle is far from over. The next action is expected to take place soon to address the question whether the voter-approved Proposition 8 is constitutional.
Massachusetts and Connecticut are the only two states that recognise marriages among couples of the same sex.
At least 30 states ban such marriages, although many others, including California, allows what is termed as civil unions.
New York and Rhode Island, however, have laws which recognise gay couples who get married elsewhere.
Newsweek published a lengthy cover story this week – The Religious Case for Gay Marriage – which showed the complexity of the issue in the United States.
Gay activists viewed Proposition 8 as a huge setback for a state such as California, which is often regarded as a trend-setter and the nation’s most forward-thinking state.
Lonely Planet calls San Francisco “the queerest place on earth”, while Los Angeles has a reputation among the country’s gayest cities.
California, in fact, is home to a number of the top 10 destinations for gays; Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Palm Springs, according to The New York Times.
But in the meantime, things are not looking rosy for stores such as Kard Zone. The economic crunch is another piece of bad news.
“It’s pretty slow,” Cobos said, looking around the store where just a couple of people were browsing at the shelves.
“There is very little foot traffic; it worsened when Tower Records, which was next door to us, closed down two years ago,” he said.
At Kard Zone, one greeting card declared “Let the Bliss Begin!”
Well, not yet.
They were meant for same-sex couples eager to toast to their nuptial joy in California.
But wedding bells have stopped ringing since last month when residents in the Golden State voted “no” to gay marriages, overturning a Supreme Court ruling in May that sanctioned such unions.
The marriage ban, known as Proposition 8, made it clear that only a “marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California”.
Since Proposition 8 was passed on Nov 4, merchandise for same-sex marriages in bridal and gift shops have had no takers.
“Business is bad,” said Arturo Cobos, the manager of Kard Zone, which specialises in “cards, gifts and fun stuff” in the gay Castro neighbourhood of San Francisco.
The shop has been around for two decades, catering to both straight and gay people looking for birthday or anniversary gifts. Cute bodysuits are available for babies, inscribed with the words “I Love My Dads”.
But with the marriage ban on gays, “his-and-his” stuff (or “hers-and-hers”) remained untouched in the store, which also sells wedding cards depicting two bridal gowns; or a pair of tuxedos linking arms with one another.
“Some people are buying them as souvenirs, but perhaps we will have to move the stock to the store room later,” Cobos said.
A rainbow flag perched outside Kard Zone, which displayed what seemed now an outdated banner congratulating the newlyweds.
“There has been no more weddings since Proposition 8. This has really affected sales,” Cobos said.
A native of Mexico City, Cobos has lived in San Francisco for seven years. He attended the wedding of a good friend when the Supreme Court had allowed such marriages.
“It was a lovely ceremony,” he said, almost wistfully.
“They have been together for donkey’s years, but who knows what happens to those vows now?”
News reports estimated that almost 18,000 same-sex marriages took place in California this year since the court ruling. The legality of such vows is a big question mark now.
When Proposition 8 was passed last month, the streets of San Francisco and other major cities throughout the US witnessed massive demonstrations by supporters of gay marriages.
In the Castro neighbourhood, posters urging people to “Vote No on Prop 8 – Unfair and Wrong” are still seen on the window panes of many buildings.
The group behind Proposition 8, Protect Marriage, a coalition of religious and community leaders and pro-family organisations, thinks otherwise.
Protect Marriage stated on its website that the marriage ban was not an attack on gay couples, and neither did it diminish the rights that same-sex couples have under California’s existing domestic partner law.
“California law already grants domestic partners all the rights that a state can grant to a married couple,” according to Protect Marriage.
“Gays have a right to their private lives, but not to change the definition of marriage for everyone else.”
The group explained, too, that California voters had approved a similar proposition in 2000 by more than 61% in which they had defined that a marriage in California was between a man and a woman.
However, the court battle is far from over. The next action is expected to take place soon to address the question whether the voter-approved Proposition 8 is constitutional.
Massachusetts and Connecticut are the only two states that recognise marriages among couples of the same sex.
At least 30 states ban such marriages, although many others, including California, allows what is termed as civil unions.
New York and Rhode Island, however, have laws which recognise gay couples who get married elsewhere.
Newsweek published a lengthy cover story this week – The Religious Case for Gay Marriage – which showed the complexity of the issue in the United States.
Gay activists viewed Proposition 8 as a huge setback for a state such as California, which is often regarded as a trend-setter and the nation’s most forward-thinking state.
Lonely Planet calls San Francisco “the queerest place on earth”, while Los Angeles has a reputation among the country’s gayest cities.
California, in fact, is home to a number of the top 10 destinations for gays; Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Palm Springs, according to The New York Times.
But in the meantime, things are not looking rosy for stores such as Kard Zone. The economic crunch is another piece of bad news.
“It’s pretty slow,” Cobos said, looking around the store where just a couple of people were browsing at the shelves.
“There is very little foot traffic; it worsened when Tower Records, which was next door to us, closed down two years ago,” he said.
At Kard Zone, one greeting card declared “Let the Bliss Begin!”
Well, not yet.
