The men said, “I do”

Tuesday I arrived so early inside The Mall in downtown Redding that the Shasta County Clerk’s office wasn’t open.

I was there for an important occasion: A gay couple would be the first to marry in Shasta County after the California Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriages.

But this wasn’t just any gay couple, this was my former colleague, Steve McCoy, and his partner Bill Champion.

To know Steve is to love him. He was the paper’s sharp-witted, belly-laughing, eye-twinkling, frequent-hugging, uber-motivational classifieds manager. He left the paper last year.

He and Bill have an antique store.  These men have been together for decades. In sickness and health. Through good times and bad.

As I waited for the county clerk’s office to open, I craned my neck to see The Mall’s ceiling. I reminded myself to get a good look at it, because starting next week that roof will come down. 

Poor, tired old mall. It’s time to let some light and air inside.

In some ways, the timing was perfect for the same-sex weddings at the county clerk’s office, inside The Mall. 

It was long past the time to allow gay couples to marry legally, just as it was long past the time to remove The Mall’s roof. 

As it turned out, the wedding I’d come to watch didn’t happen. Steve and Bill decided to postpone their ceremony to Aug. This would allow them more time to finalize personal paperwork and plan a bigger wedding production.

But Steve and Bill had a proud distinction Tuesday: They were the first same-sex couple to obtain a marriage license in Shasta County since the court’s ruling.

But first, I met their friends, Randall McNames and his partner Victor Kazakevich. They’ve been together for more than 30 years, and decided to wed Tuesday.  Steve and Bill stood up for them as witnesses.

Victor asked media to not publish his photo.

“Come on,” Randall said. “It’s all right.”

Victor stuck by his request, and then mentioned the brothers who murdered a Shasta County gay couple some years back.

“They’re on our minds,” Victor said.

The county clerk’s office opened. Everyone filled the lobby.

It was a happy place where dedicated, loving couples like Steve and Bill obtained their marriage license.

It was a monumental day when committed, loving couples like Randall and Victor were married in a ceremony officiated by county clerk, Kathy Darling.

Their wedding was fairly typical: Flowers. Family. Friends. Smiles. Hugs. Kisses. Tears of joy.

Some things, however, were not typical. 

For example, at least four law enforcement officers were there: Two from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Department stayed inside the county clerk’s lobby, two from the Redding Police Department remained outside the clerk’s doors inside The Mall.

That’s something you don’t see at most weddings. 

The only ripple in the morning’s events involved a scripture-reciting woman inside The Mall who hoped to change the gay couples’ minds with a box of Bibles. (Steve told her he had his own Bible, thank you, a gift from his mother.)

Luckily, the law enforcement turned out to be just an extra, but unnecessary precaution.

The other strange part was the abundance of cameras that belonged not just to friends and family, but media.

Why not?

It was a joyous moment, worthy of historical preservation.

Congratulations to all the couples.