As a lot of you probably heard, on Friday, May 9, Circuit Judge Chris Piazza invalidated Arkansas’ 10-year-old ban (amendment 83) on same-sex marriage and recognition of marriages legally entered by same-sex couples in other states. (Full ruling here as pdf.)
In Carrol County–the next county over from us–in the town of Eureka Springs, a few licenses were issued to same-sex couples on Saturday from 9am to 1pm, when the courthouse closed for the day.
Here in Benton County, where we live, no licenses are expected to be issued today (Monday), at least according to the scuttlebutt we’ve been hearing through local news channels. The Benton County Clerk said the county will not issue any same-sex marriage licenses unless forced by a court order, and said in the letter that the Pulaski County judge does not have jurisdiction over their county and their decisions: “Amendment 83 remains binding in Benton County and will be respected.”
So the Husbear and I are torn: Do we drive to the next counties over–either Carrol or Washington–to get a license; or do we wait until the county we live in–and the county the Husbear’s family has lived in since before Arkansas was even a state–issues licenses?
I understand his sentiment for wanting to get a license in Benton County. He’s lived here all his life. And it’s where we live.
Decisions, decisions.
Until next time...
I’m so happy and excited for you guys and all Arkansans. To go from seemingly no choice to so many must be a wonderful mind f*ck.
Thank you. Hopefully the stay will be lifted and the marriages will be allowed to continue soon. I know it’s weird it even happened here in Arkansas at all, but maybe there is hope for the South after all.
I’m happy for y’all! My husband and I live in Wisconsin where equality is still lagging. He was born and raised here. The house where we live is on part of his family’s original 1840’s land grant. We were thinking about waiting, but recently decided to go to Minnesota and get married. It was the right decision for us, but I understand why others (including people we know here) decide to wait.
Thank you, and congratulations to you both as well.
I was pretty much game for whatever the Husbear wanted to do, as I knew he wanted it to be in the same county. But I guess he realized it’s the state he lives in that’s the important part, so he acted.