Nothing like some midnight parties to kick off May Day. Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples held midnight civil-union ceremonies in Denver on Wednesday after a new law allowing the unions went into effect at 12:01 a.m. As the clock struck midnight, cheers broke out at Denver’s Wellington E. Webb government building, and the celebration wasn’t dampened by the reality that Colorado has a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock performed many of the first ceremonies, along with U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette and municipal judges and religious officiates. The first couple to wed were Fran and Anna Simon, who have spent years campaigning for same-sex marriage and civil unions. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Fran said. “I just expected being with Anna.”
