Empress Candi Samples weds in San Diego firsts

Mario Ortega (Her Most Imperial Majesty, Empress Candi Samples of the Imperial Court de San Diego) and husband James Hederer were legally married in a historic ceremony Wednesday.

Although the couple’s nuptials did not represent the first same-sex union in the County since the repeal of Proposition 8, their wedding is the first legal marriage of any Imperial Court monarch in history.

Significantly, the ceremony was also the first wedding of any kind (same-sex or otherwise) ever to be held in the San Diego County Board of Supervisors’ official board room – the same chamber where meetings about the governance of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas occur.

“It’s both symbolic and substantive,” said Ortega, who committed to Hederer in a legally recognized civil union that was ceremonially sanctioned by the Metropolitan Community Church eight years ago, but which lacked state recognition.

“The substantive part is the rights and benefits,” Ortega told San Diego LGBT Weekly. “Benefits are always nice; but the most important thing is the fact that our legal marriage is recognized by both the state and the federal government. It says that our marriage – that we as spouses – are not less than other couples.”

Although his expression during the administering of wedding vows suggested emotion, Hederer downplayed his feelings about now being legally wed.

“I feel the same,” he said, shrugging. “We were already married in my eyes and in my heart. This just makes us equal to our straight married friends and family.”

The ceremony, held at 2 p.m. in the historic San Diego County Administration Building on Pacific Highway, was officiated by Supervisor Ron Roberts. Roberts said he sees no difference in marrying opposite-sex couples and those of the same sex.

“I didn’t really need to evolve on my position in support of equality; I’ve believed in marriage equality for a long time. A same-sex couple who have been neighbors to my wife and I, and who are wonderful people, have taught me a lot about people and equality over the decades we’ve lived next door to them.”

Present to witness and celebrate were friends and colleagues from the Imperial Court de San Diego, of which Ortega is the reigning monarch. As Ortega’s husband, Hederer’s title in the Imperial Court system is “prince consort.”

Gregory Swales, who is Empress XII of the Imperial Court of Tacoma, Wash., came to serve as an official witness for the marriage ceremony.

“It is fantastic to be here to witness our friend become the first empress of the Imperial Court in history ever to be married,” Swales said.

Asked if he might follow suit one day, Swales was resolute:

“I’m not going to be doing that – ever. But it’s nice that my friends will now get the benefits like any other couple. And, it’s nice to know I could too. But no, I won’t being getting married.”

Imperial Court de San Diego reigning prince royale, Mikie Lochner, was similarly joyous about his friends’ legal wedding, saying equality was a long time coming.

“As a gay man this is amazing to see,” he said. “Finally, based on what the Supreme Court did last week, we can now legally marry who we love … finally.”

But there’s more work to do, according to Imperial Court de San Diego board vice president, Blue Montana – and not just in terms of winning marriage equality nationwide. Montana said the LGBT community and its leaders must make sure states recognize the transgender issues surrounding marriage.

“In California we have it pretty good,” Montana said. “We can self-identify and marry as either a same-sex couple or an opposite-sex couple based on how we identify. But in other states it matters because the state can require you to have had surgery to be recognized authentically. We need to not leave out the “T” in LGBT as we continue fighting for marriage equality in all fifty states.”