Page 24 - Flathead Beacon // 11.26.14

24 | NOVEMBER 26, 2014
NEWS
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
GAY MARRIAGE
Continued from page 5
“It was difficult five years ago to even tell somebody you were gay,” she said. “Now it’s changed a lot in the valley. Peo- ple are realizing that there’s less wrong with it than they thought.”
Last week Walter and Bryan eagerly awaited an opportunity to hold a mar- riage ceremony after receiving their li- cense, as other couples across the state enjoyed the same opportunity.
Shawn Sharp and John Blanchard applied to be married shortly after the marriage license department opened at 8:30 a.m. After filling out the license application and signing the documents, the two men emerged with the first mar- riage license for a same-sex couple in Flathead County.
“It’s shocking,” said Sharp. “It’s ex- citing and overwhelming. We didn’t know we’d be the first.”
Right after Sharp and Blanchard, two other men filled out the applica- tion and received a license. When they were finished and were quietly exiting, a young boy came up and handed the two men a homemade card with a heart on it. The card read, “Love is love. Congratula- tions.”
Cherilyn DeVries brought two of her teenage sons to the Justice Center Thursday morning to witness the first gay couples being allowed to marry in Montana.
“This is one of the biggest civil rights issues of their generation. I wanted them to be here and see it happen, especially in an area not known for always sup- porting equality,” DeVries said. “This is a long-time coming. I’m relieved to see this day.”
Others have not welcomed the news.
Republican Rep. Steve Daines ex- pressed disappointment in last week’s ruling, saying an “unelected federal judge” had ignored Montanans’ wishes.
“I strongly believe in marriage as the union of one man and one woman and will continue working to defend the fam- ily,” Daines said in a statement.
Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, a Republican, said he would appeal the judge’s ruling but won’t seek an imme- diate stay to block marriages while the case is pending. The state will wait for
Shawn Sharp, left, and John Blanchard are the first same- sex couple to fill out a marriage license at the Flathead County Courthouse on Nov. 20.
GREG LINDSTROM FLATHEAD BEACON
a San Francisco-based federal appeals court to set a schedule for the case.
“It is the attorney general’s sworn duty to uphold and defend Montana’s constitution until such time as there is no further review or no appeal can be made in a court of law,” he said in a state- ment. “Fulfilling that duty, the state of Montana will appeal this ruling in light of the fact that there are conflicting fed- eral court decisions and no final word from the U.S. Supreme Court.”
The first formal ceremony inside the Justice Center was held the morning of Nov. 20 for two local men, who asked to remain anonymous. Eric Hummel, a local attorney, filled in as justice of the peace presiding over the brief ceremony because the county’s two other judges were gone. The two men became the first gay couple on record to be officially mar- ried in Flathead County.
There were four marriage licenses issuedtogaycouplesinFlatheadCounty on Nov. 20. In 13 counties across Mon- tana 47 same-sex couples received mar- riage licenses on Nov. 20, according to the state Department of Public Health and Human Services.
The ACLU held events at courthous- es across the state celebrating the first couples being allowed to marry.
Before last week, Montana was one of three states holding firm in its legal fight against same-sex marriage despite rulings from federal appeals courts that oversee them that concluded gay and les- bian couples have the right to wed.
That all changed, at least for the mo- ment, Wednesday after U.S. District Judge Brian Morris ruled Montana’s constitutional amendment limiting marriage to a man and a woman violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said in a statement he has instructed his admin- istration to quickly take the appropriate steps to ensure legally married same- sex couples are recognized and afforded the same rights and responsibilities that married Montanans enjoy.
Conflicting rulings by federal ap- peals courts across the county mean the issue of same-sex marriage will likely return to the U.S. Supreme Court for a final decision.
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