A Pennsylvania judge on Thursday ordered a suburban Philadelphia county clerk to comply with the state's same-sex marriage ban and stop issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
Since July, D. Bruce Hanes, the elected Montgomery County register of wills, has given out 174 licenses to same-sex couples, ignoring a 1996 state law that defines marriage as "between one man and one woman."
The state Department of Health sued to stop Hanes, saying he is in "direct defiance" of the ban and "risks causing serious and limitless harm to the public."
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Although I support gay marriage rights, they are not legal in PA yet; and although I suspect that this clerk was just trying to give these couples hope, he was clearly wrong.
That being said, I don't know how issuing licenses that aren't worth the paper they're written “risk causing serious and limitless harm to the public.” The people obtaining them know they're not legal.
Short response: clerk was wrong, but had his heart in the right place. Don't know what “risks causing serious and limitless harm to the public.” are; seems a hysterical response to me.
If I lived in Philadelphia, I'd probably prefer to get married in New York City or Washington anyway. Can you imagine anyone's travelling to Pittsburgh to get married?
Don't businesses make a killing off weddings? Especially cake bakers? Hey–"we stayed in the finest wedding suite in Pittsburgh." Huh?
Sure, but the problem there is it isn't recognized in PA, so the NY or DC marriage would hold no legal standing.
Western PA is beautiful.
Think he'll spontaneously combust?
Don't mess with Karma.
Ah, my little swishy maricon rupert, you will find your bf one day. Don't give up. He's out there.
Blocked
He did obey the ban. He just didn't do his job. Give him a layoff.