Festival-Like Atmosphere Outside Supreme Court

Advocates of same-sex marriage filled the sidewalks outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday, waving rainbow-colored flags and taking selfies. Opponents were fewer in number, but louder and with towering signs quoting the Bible and using a microphone to denounce what they called the nation's demise.

It was a festival-like atmosphere, complete with warm spring sunshine and people dressed as nuns and one man wearing a tutu, as the justices heard arguments inside about whether gay marriage should be permitted nationwide. Most people outside said they were there to celebrate a historic moment.

"We just had to be here," said Shelly Bailes, a 74-year-old from Davis, California, who has been with her wife, Ellen Pontac, for more than 40 years.

Protesters and advocates had begun lining up last week for coveted seats inside the courtroom. A cheer went up as the doors opened, and VIPs muscled through the crowd with private security in tow. Rep. Jerry Nadler, a proponent of same-sex marriage, said he had arranged for a seat in advance. While the final ruling won't come until late June, Nadler said he sees the ruling as a slam dunk.

"How many issues can you help so many people and hurt nobody?" said Nadler, D-N.Y.

Opponents said they had focused their grassroots organizing on Saturday's "March of Marriage" instead of Tuesday's court hearing, which was probably why they appeared to be in the minority. One large group said they were evangelical Christians who could help others find God. A sign read "Sodomy is worthy of death," while a man shouted into a microphone that same-sex marriage was an ugly perversion.

Peter Sprigg, with the Family Research Council, stood quietly in the back, holding a sign that said "Every Child Deserves a Mom and a Dad." He said the smaller presence of opponents to same-sex marriage on Tuesday should not be interpreted to mean that Americans want it legalized.

"It's not for the court to resolve controversial social issues," Sprigg said, echoing arguments being made inside. "It's for the democratic process."

Darren Nimnicht, 63, and Tom Cicero, 62, of New York City stood on the curb far from the crush of people holding a sign with a picture of them from 1976. Someone joked that they looked like "Starsky and Hutch" from the television show, and the couple - who married in 2008 - agreed that much has changed since those days.

"I wanted to show the younger generation there can be lasting relationships," said Cicero. "It's not a fairy tale."

Others said they hoped the Supreme Court would resolve years of legal uncertainty for their families. Bailes, a mother of two, recalls being told by her divorce lawyer in the 1970s that if she acknowledged her relationship with Pontac, also a mother, that their children could be taken away from them.

Pontac says she is confident they will see same-sex marriage legalized by the Supreme Court.

"How can we not? Look around. Read the polls," she said. "I think the Supreme Court realizes this is a huge part of their legacy."

But Sprigg said same-sex marriage advocates shouldn't be so quick to celebrate. "I, by no means, believe it's a foregone conclusion," he said.

This story is part of our special report: "Gay Marriage". Want to read more? Here's the full list.