US: 200 same-sex couples married in Colorado so far
200 same-sex couples have married so far in Colorado, after defiant clerks began issuing marriage licenses.
Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall first defied the state to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on June 25, despite a continuing ban on same-sex marriage.
After Republican Attorney General John Suthers’ attempt to stop her was dismissed by a judge this week, clerks in Pueblo County and Denver County joined her in issuing licenses.
According to the LA Times, 25 marriage licenses have so far been issued in Pueblo County and 40 in Denver County, with a total of 135 in Boulder County since Hall first began issuing them.
Pueblo County Clerk Gilbert Ortiz said: “No court has upheld the constitutionality of marriage bans for 23 consecutive rulings – at state or federal levels all over the nation. That’s significant and can’t be ignored.
“Denying constitutional rights is an untenable position, and I have to respect the Constitution, the courts and move forward.”
Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, who is openly gay, also backed Denver Clerk Debra Johnson’s decision to begin issuing licenses.
He said: “As a city, we have stood together against injustice and for the rights of all people.
“I stand proudly with her as we take another step toward marriage equality for every single resident of this great city.”
The case is unprecedented in the US, with no previous marriage ban so entirely disregarded, despite remaining law.
