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TV celebrity Rosie O'Donnel weds same-sex partner

February 27, 2004 11:31 IST

Comedian and former talk show host Rosie O'Donnell, who protested President George W Bush's call for a constitutional ban on gay marriage, married her longtime girlfriend.

O'Donnell and Kelli Carpenter on Thursday flew from New York to get married in San Francisco, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Friday. She has now become the most prominent American celebrity in a same-sex marriage.

Theirs was one of some 3,200 same-sex marriages that have been performed since February 12, when Mayor Gavin Newsom launched a constitutional challenge to the ban by the state of California on gay and lesbian nuptials.

O'Donnell announced her plans to marry on an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America show during which she harshly criticised President George W Bush for endorsing a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

"The actions of the President are, in my opinion, the most vile and hateful words ever spoken by a sitting president," she said. "I am stunned and I'm horrified."

After a brief ceremony in the mayor's office, O'Donnell said, "I want to thank the city of San Francisco for this amazing stance the mayor has taken for all the people here, not just us but all the thousands and thousands of loving, law-abiding couples."

"Some people asked us where we were going on our honeymoon," O'Donnell said. "With four kids under the age of 8, there will be no honeymoon."
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