In Wake Of Gay Marriage Ruling, Two California Counties Halt All Weddings

County officials in at least two California counties say they'll stop performing all wedding ceremonies by next week, arguing that they don't have enough resources to marry both gay and straight couples.

Officials in Kern and Butte counties cited budget and staffing constraints as the rationale for halting the ceremonies. But clerks in other counties say that claim is specious. Some activists went further, arguing that the decision to stop the ceremonies amounts to poorly disguised discrimination against gay and lesbian couples.

County clerks are required by law to issue marriage licenses, but the offices do not have to perform wedding ceremonies. The recent state Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriages takes effect after the business day on Monday.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[TopDog]

Separate the Church and State in this issue of marriage. Take all the marriages on the State's books and change them to Domestic Partnerships. Have the State for legal purposes, issue Domestic Partnership licenses to all who apply, heterosexual, homosexual, platonic, multiple partners, etc. Let the Churches marry people ca this is supposed to be covenant with God. No one is offended but it is time for this separation of Church and State to occur.

[SaidShirazi]

In the wake of this controversy, McCain has reiterated his position on gay marriage: He's old-fashioned, he thinks marriage should be between a short man and a rich woman who hasn't been in a car accident.

[NYCBear]

I was brought up in rural California in the '50s and '60s - it was full of religious rednecks then, and its full of religious rednecks now. They just keep breeding up more of them.

They keep their kids away from heathenish things like geology and astronomy and biology, to make sure their faith isn't challenged by actual facts.

Non-Californians have no idea how like the rural South it is there.

[Steamboater]

Kern and Butte county officials are so full of it. How many gays are there in those counties? Maybe 50 all together? Bakersfield is a redneck conclave so these officials aren't fooling anyone. Well, good then. If we can't marry each other there, then no one marries. Maybe all the straights who want to get married will have to run to SF or LA. LOL

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

There can't be more than about 3 gay people altogether in Kern & Butte counties.

[Felicty]

And yet, stop by any highway rest stop in the central valley, and you would think there were hundreds of THOUSANDS of gays hiding in fake marriages as Christian parents.

Fucking HYPOCRITES.

[mamacat]

I conjecture that Fox News is the channel of choice in those counties.

[loki]

This reminds me of the same tactics used to stop Blacks from having equal rights as well as when there was a small but loud outcry to stop whites from marring a black. De-Evolution is the sign of the times aint it.

[hypnotoad72]

Let religions decide who can marry whom.

Let governments decide who can union with whom.

If need be, re-write the marriage license system or make it include "civil unions" so neither side can cry "Foul!".

Then can we move onto topics that affect far more people?

[NYCBear]

Yes - remove civil marriage altogether. If we can't expand the special marriage privileges of the religious right to include everyone, delete marriage entirely from our civil law.

No more joint tax returns, no more spousal social security benefits, no more protection against testifying against a spouse in court, no more mandated spousal hospital privileges, no more automatic spousal inheritance, no more special treatment when trying to adopt. None of those things are religious, none of those things are part of "traditional marriage between a man and a woman".

Get rid of ALL of the special secular privileges given to heterosexual supremacists, and make marriage irrelevant in civil law. Equal is equal; either any adult can be married in the eyes of the law, or no one can be married in the eyes of the law.

If God doesn't like that, He can tell us in person. He's had every opportunity, but doesn't seem bothered by gay marriage. He doesn't submit briefs to the courts, He never makes announcements on TV, He never holds press conferences.

The creator of the universe could certainly do any of those things if He wanted to. Those who claim to speak for God blaspheme every time they open their mouths, by claiming that God is unable to speak for Himself.

[Felicty]

I will make it a point to get married in one of these counties! Then a lawsuit when they refuse to marry us.

We can live off the settlement monies for the rest of our lives.

[wndrwrthg]

As long as they refuse to marry ALL couples, any lawsuit would be without merit. I live in Butte county and really don't believe budget concerns are behind the decision. If they were truely concerned, they could merely charge a fee equaling the cost of the salary for the time it took whoever presided over the marriage to preform it.

[hypnotoad72]

Not very mature of you to try to leech off of other people like that...

[Felicty]

Leech off them? Deny my rights, and I will bury them.

[MsLiz]

Never mind not reading the article.

[musselmanm]

I worked in Butte County. I would hate to truely demean anyone but, many of the wormen that were into one size fits all, used to come in their jogging ourfits to the new Trifty drug store to get their ice cream each afternoon. I used to laugh my arse off about the irony.

[wadenelson1]

Clearly you ARE trying to demean someone. I'm just not sure who or why. Take risk, say what you really want to say. Don't worry someone else on Huffpo will let you know if you are wrong.

[Big0725]

What the hell does that have to do with anyhing? And what's with the "arse"?

[LittleBrother]

I don't blame these counties one little bit.

If they cave in to this sort of depraved nonsense, next thing you know they'll be expected to allow colored people to drink at their "Whites Only" water fountains! And then the maintenance costs will skyrocket!

It's all about fiscal responsibility.

[wadenelson1]

Nahh, they all drink bottled water only.

[musselmanm]

Remeber, what goes around, comes around. The leaders and elected officials should be named and defeated in the next election.
Heteros for rights for all!

[unitron]

Apparently those of us wondering how in the world "straight" marriages are threatened by "gay" marriages have had our question answered. :-)

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

Point well made!

[thegirlnextdoor]

oh, you win the best yet! Thanks for the logic and the laugh!

[unitron]

My pleasure entirely, GND.

[SanityClaus]

I live in Sacramento County. Our Clerk's office is extending its hours from 8 am to 8 pm on the 17th and 18th to accommodate additional demand. The nice lady I spoke to when I called to make an appointment was very warm and enthusiastic for my partner and I.

These pitiful excuses for county clerks are depriving their county of REVENUE at a time when our state budget is shrinking. They should be fired for their fiscal mismanagement.

[jukesgrrl]

Interesting point. And congratulations!

[hugs4u]

It goes to show you that Officials in Kern and Butte counties are real slime balls. As long as gay people don't make me sleep with them, they should be able and allowed to do what everyone else is allowed to do, including getting married.