"Matrimony and Acrimony" Minister Deb in the L.A. Times

The Inland Valley Voice 10/23/02
When Deborah Gordon received her seminary degree a few years ago, she had no plans to use it. But when the Pomona resident began planning her own wedding she discovered how hard it was to find someone to bless her commitment to her partner and realized she had something to offer. Gordon was ordained about a year ago by the Universal Life Church in Modesto and now officiates the union of same-sex couples. It is a controversial topic, but to Gordon and her clients it is simple. ​

"I want to make it a commitment," Gordon, 36, said of her three-year relationship, "just as I would if I were straight."

While gay marriages are not legally recognized, a ceremony, Gordon and others said, validates the commitment in front of family and friends. 

"It legitimizes the relationship for some people in front of God," Gordon said. 

Excerpted from the L.A. Times Inland Valley Voice 10/23/02