the buzz log

"I now pronounce you spouses for life." With those words from San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, 87-year-old Del Martin and 83-year-old Phyllis Lyon wed... again.

Technically, the first words allowing their same-sex marriage came from the California Supreme Court on May 15, who ruled that "the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right (of marriage) to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual."

If the couple of 55 years had to save on wedding expenses, they could've safely cut wedding photographers and videographers. Local and national media, including the San Francisco Chronicle and KTVU, covered the ceremony and cake-cutting here and throughout California. As more gay and lesbian couples register to wed Tuesday, sites such as the California Report have created special pages to monitor the legal, nuptial, and social upheavals. Within the Buzz mix, different regions have been considering gay marriage's impact, whether it be the Midwest, Georgia, or California itself and its November face-off over a proposed marriage amendment.

The issue, at least in Search, had been in a lull the past two years, except for the spike surrounding the court ruling. Last week's online interest in "gay marriage" mainly hailed from California and New York.

On Monday, however, the term leapt up more than 200%, as searches from Missouri, Florida, New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, Ohio, and Michigan squeezed between these two coastal states. Texas rounded out the top 10 states, but surprisingly, Massachusetts didn't number among the top searchers. Perhaps Bay State newlyweds recognize that political triumphs don't always guarantee marital harmony, as the New York Times reported.

Other related terms spiking Monday included "gay rights activists" and "gay rights movement." Searchers for these terms, as well as "gay marriage" and "california gay marriage," were split evenly between females and males 13-64, with teens well-represented in this mix.

What do these numbers mean? Based on search spikes, the issue doesn't seem to resonate as strongly as it once did, except on special occasions. This could change as the marriage amendment and presidential vote draw nearer. In the meantime, expect San Francisco and the rest of the state to enjoy its 21st-century summer of love, complete with rose petals and protest signs.

Filed under: Weddings, San Francisco, Gay Marriage, Law, California

In the latest effort to define marriage as being solely between a man and a woman, 49 senators voted for and 48 voted against a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the United States. The final tally was 11 votes short of the 60 needed to move the amendment proposal further in the ratification process.

Regardless of how the "yeas" and "nays" were counted in Congress, searchers chose not to abstain from keeping tabs on the issue. In the days preceding the vote, "gay marriage" queries rose 75%, into the top 4,000 searches. "Same-sex marriage" also saw spikes in Search.

If you believe opinion polls, the U.S. is a country nearly split down the middle on whether or not to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage. The similarly divided Senate vote may have put the issue of marriage and the Constitution to rest—but only for a short intermission. With 2006 midterm elections on the horizon and 2008 presidential hopefuls lining up at the bully pulpit, we don't expect gay marriage to be out of the headlines or far from the Search box for very long.

Filed under: Weddings, Politics, Gay Marriage, LGBT Issues