Civil (service) civil disobedience:
City officials in San Francisco, a community that has long prided itself on tolerance, began performing marriages today between couples of the same sex in a coordinated political and legal challenge to state law.
By early this afternoon, at least eight such marriages had been performed, and a dozen more marriage licenses had been issued to same-sex couples. The mayor’s office said that, starting today, the city will issue marriage licenses to any gay couples who apply.