The State of California began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples starting at 5pm PST today. Influential liberal mayors Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and Gavin Newsom of California are both presiding over ceremonies at their respective city halls that began today at 5pm PST. Neither Mr. Newsom nor Mr. Villaraigosa have stellar records when it comes to marriage, but kudos to them on their efforts to support equal marriage rights for all. This is the first time the state will have same-sex unions since a brief stint in 2004 wherein the County of San Francisco began granting marriage licenses (they were later revoked then unrevoked then revoked and so on and so forth).

So far, the event has drawn little news coverage - probably due to the overwhelming interest in Tiger Wood’s stunning victory at the PGA US Open at Torrey Pines - but surely conservative pundits will be frothy mouthed within the next day or so.

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Portia de Rossi and Ellen Degeneris came out of the closet with their wedding plans! Thanks to the California State Supreme Court’s Decision overturning the ban on gay marriage (as unconstitutional) Ellen and Portia can finally say “I do. This, of course, is one small step towards equality for humankind. And one gigantic leap towards a wedding registry this couple. Yesterday, on her show, an emotional Ellen announced:

This is very exciting, I have to say. Yesterday, the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on gay marriage. So I would like to say right now, for the first time, I am announcing that I am getting married. [...] I’m so excited. It’s something that we’ve, of course, wanted to do, and we’ve wanted to be legal, and we’re very very excited.

The lucky gal, of course, is Ellen’s girlfriend Portia de Rossi. Check out the video below

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie Halper:

“The First Time I Every Saw Your Face” May Be the First Time You Hear About Ewan MacColl

California’s Gay Marriage Ban Overturned & 5 Ways To Take Action

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Nicole Hughes:

“Bottlemania” Book Takes Bottled Water Industry To Task

Arnold Tells Automakers To “Stop Whining” About Tougher California Emissions Standards

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Andy Kondrat:

Department of Energy Forecasts Large Increase In Wind Power Usage

Edward Norton & Gavin Newsom Speak To Congress About Environmental Building Practices

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Jon Popham:

Spencer Tunick Strips Hundreds Naked

Lichtenstein Sculptures At Fairchild Garden In Miami

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Giulia Rozzi:

Does Being Ethical Pay?

Is the Anti-Female Genial Mutilation Campaign Offensive?

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Gina Telaroli:

A Global Look At Media On Pangea Day

Everything Cinema: Brody Takes On the Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard

California’s Gay Marriage Ban was banned today by the California Supreme court! In the 4-3 decision, the court ruled that Proposition 22, a ban on gay marriage, is unconstitutional. This is great news for people who, you know, like, care about equal rights or whatever! Here’s why the court deemed it unconstitutional to tell people who they can and can’t marry:

In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual’s sexual orientation — like a person’s race or gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights. We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples.

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