A group of about 30 same-sex marriage advocates, organized by Marriage Equality USA, showed up this Valentine's Day at City Hall, accompanied by the Oakland Gay Men's Chorus, and at least a dozen people crammed themselves into the County Clerk's office in a symbolic effort to obtain marriage licenses. Eight people were detained by sheriff's deputies just before 10 a.m., but were quickly released.

The intervention of the sheriff's deputies was largely to restore order in the clerk's office, where a number of happy heterosexual couples who don't know what it's like having rights denied them were waiting to get their marriage licenses on V-Day.

It should be noted that the Oakland Gay Men's Chorus were singing a rendition of "Chapel of Love" in the lobby of City Hall, with the word "courthouse" replacing "chapel." We suppose "clerk's office" was too many syllables.

[BCN/Appeal]
PREVIOUSLY: Ninth Circuit Court Rules Prop. 8 Unconstitutional

As you know, San Francisco's honorary Granddad was celebrated in a ceremony at City Hall earlier today. While the emergency warning siren might have failed to entertain us, the San Francisco Boy's Chorus, the San Francisco Girl's Chorus and the Gay Men's Chorus repeatedly belted out San Francisco's unofficial theme song for the lucky folks who managed to squeeze in to the dome room of City Hall.

During the ceremony, emceed by the voice of the voice of the San Francisco Giants, Renel Brooks-Moon, Mayor Ed Lee declared February 14th, 2012 Tony Bennett Day in San Francisco before handing over a key to the city. The ceremony also included an awkward DVD tour of Tony Bennett memories throughout the city, led by San Francisco Ambassador Charlotte Shultz and featuring video cameos from Willie Brown, Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, and the footman from the Fairmont Hotel.

Mr. Bennett himself sat quietly through the proceedings and, disappointingly, didn't sing the trademark song himself — but he did make it a point to tell crowd that the childrens choirs were, "some of the most beautiful" he'd ever heard.