Same Sex Wedding Cake

A Diablo editor is happy that all our neighbors can finally have their cake and eat it too

Last week, I was sitting in the Walnut Creek Baking Company, sipping coffee while waiting for a meeting at the Lesher Center for the Arts. A man with blond hair burst in. For the most part he casually dressed—faded jeans, white button-down shirt—except for his silky, brightly colored vest, which signaled that he was in a celebratory mood.
“I’m here to pick up my wedding cake!” he exclaimed. He hurried to the counter, talking excitedly. “We just got married at the courthouse 45 minutes ago, and we’re having our party at Stanford’s!” One of the employees beamed him a smile and hurried back into the kitchen to get the cake. Owner Denise Vickers and another employee joined in congratulating him. 
Sure, it’s not typical for a groom to stop by the bakery to pick up his wedding cake between ceremony and reception. But these are not ordinary times. The California Supreme Court on May 15 lifted our state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Since the court’s ruling went into effect on June 16, hundreds of same-sex couples have descended on county courthouses around the state to pick up marriage licenses or to get hitched. Stephen Weir, Contra Costa’s county clerk, and his long-time partner were the first to wed in this county. Many of these weddings are hastily arranged, like the man who picked up his cake at Walnut Creek Baking Company. Some couples believe they need to take advantage of what might be a narrow window of time.  Opponents of same-sex marriage are asking California voters in November to approve an initiative that would provide that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” But even though some of these ceremonies are spur of the moment—no high-priced wedding planners or venues scheduled a year in advance—I’m guessing that a fair number of these marriages are a long time coming, in terms of the months and years that these couples have devoted to each other.
I was excited for the bakery customer. I’ve been a proponent of gay rights since high school, when, yes, some of my best friends were gay. I was active in drama at Acalanes High, and to some extent the stereotype is true: the performing arts attract creative souls of a certain persuasion. But this was back in the early ’80s, a time when even the suburbs of San Francisco, America’s gay Mecca, were just starting to emerge from the dark ages of social intolerance. Most of these friends, who were male, felt it was necessary to hide their orientation through high school; one even attempted suicide. Fortunately, a quarter of a century later, courts, lawmakers, and the American people are starting to accept, albeit slowly, that all our communities house a minority of people who don’t follow the “straight” path to love, but who deserve the same rights to legally-sanctioned commitments as everyone else.
When the bakery employee returned from the kitchen with a large box holding the man’s cake, I couldn’t help but jump out of my seat to peek.  The cake was big and round and covered with white frosting. Decorating its top was a picture, in black buttercream, of two champagne flutes clinking together and words congratulating the newly wedded pair of men.
Of course, it was none of my business to peek at this man’s cake, but I wanted to wish him well. He quickly paid for his cake and rushed out to get to his party. Vickers said her bakery has received about 10 rush orders in the past two to make cakes for same-sex weddings. I continued to feel the man’s joy as I returned to my seat.  He and his partner deserved their celebration. In their own private way, they had just made history. And I felt grateful that, by being present when the man came into the bakery to pick up his cake, he had given me a chance to be a witness to that history. 
 

Posted at 04:57 PM in Best Of Editor Picks | Permalink