(Photo by Stephen Koranda)Some Kansas counties began issuing marriage licenses today (THUR) to same sex couples. That comes after the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to block those marriages.
Brian and his partner Randy, who didn’t want to use their last names, came to Douglas County from Johnson County after being told that county wasn’t issuing licenses to same sex couples.
A judge in Douglas County waived the normal three-day waiting period because they had originally applied for a license in October.
Brian says he's happy to get the formal recognition.
“Because honestly, I had always made the joke that I probably wouldn’t even have all my teeth by the time I was able to get married in the state of Kansas, that I would probably be very old before it would ever be possible,” says Brian.
A handful of counties have been issuing licenses to same sex couples. Some other counties are accepting applications for marriage licenses and then waiting for word on whether they should be approved.
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Some counties in Kansas began issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples Thursday. That comes after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request from the state to block the marriages while a lawsuit is on appeal. KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports.
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In Douglas County, Brian and Randy, who didn’t want to use their last names, came to apply for a license after being told their home of Johnson County wasn’t issuing them.
A judge waived the normal three-day waiting period for a marriage license because they had initially applied last month.
Brian says he’s happy to get the formal recognition.
“As you’re growing up people say, ‘well, you’ve been together so long, it’s just a piece of paper.’ Randy and I have been together 19 years. When you’re born, they issue you a piece of paper, and when you die, they issue you piece of paper. Having a piece of paper to recognize us, we’re not second-class citizens,” says Brian.
Different countries responded in different ways to the ruling.
A handful of Kansas counties began issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples right away. Others denied applications or accepted applications but said they’d have to wait for word on whether they should be approved or not