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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
A display for gay marriage celebrations is
seen on the window of Castro Village
Wine Co. in San Francisco. (AP)
A display for gay marriage celebrations is
seen on the window of Castro Village
Wine Co. in San Francisco. (AP)
California County Clerk Stops Performing Marriages
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The Kern Country Clerk’s decision to cease performing marriage ceremonies coincides with the legalization of same-sex marriage in California.
30-Second Summary
Kern County Clerk Ann Barnett says that her decision to discontinue performance of all marriage ceremonies is the result of “lack of staff and space.” The office of the Clerk will continue to provide marriage licenses, but says it no longer has the resources to solemnize marriages. Barnett’s decision coincides with a Supreme Court ruling that gay marriages will be legal in California starting this week. A member of Barnett’s staff said that the clerk “fully expected to be sued” for her decision.
Barnett maintains that the decision is financially motivated, but there is little evidence to support her claim. The Los Angeles Times opines that in Kern County “public officials and others in positions of power have always exhibited a fierce conservative bent.” The clerk’s office also wrote to the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization opposing gay marriage, asking for support.
Gay and straight couples alike feel inconvenienced by Barnett’s decision. One straight couple had to push up their wedding date to ensure they could have a ceremony. But Whitney Weddell, a gay rights’ activist, had a different take: “Who really wants to be married by a hater?”
Two other counties in California, Butte and Merced, made similar announcements following Barnett’s announcement. In Butte County, it seems that the decision was actually made for financial reasons. Merced County has since reversed its decision.
Barnett maintains that the decision is financially motivated, but there is little evidence to support her claim. The Los Angeles Times opines that in Kern County “public officials and others in positions of power have always exhibited a fierce conservative bent.” The clerk’s office also wrote to the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization opposing gay marriage, asking for support.
Gay and straight couples alike feel inconvenienced by Barnett’s decision. One straight couple had to push up their wedding date to ensure they could have a ceremony. But Whitney Weddell, a gay rights’ activist, had a different take: “Who really wants to be married by a hater?”
Two other counties in California, Butte and Merced, made similar announcements following Barnett’s announcement. In Butte County, it seems that the decision was actually made for financial reasons. Merced County has since reversed its decision.
Headline Links: ‘County clerk will stop performing all weddings’
June 13 will be the last day that the Clerk’s office of Kern County, California performs marriages of any kind. The office stated in an official press release, “Because of long-term administrative plans, budgetary reasons, and the need to increase security for elections, the Clerk’s office will cease solemnizing weddings, which is discretionary on the part of the County Clerk.” Couples will still be able to obtain licenses, but they will need to go elsewhere for solemnization of their marriage.
Source: The Bakersfield Californian
A member of Barnett’s staff said that Barnett “fully expected to be sued” for her decision. Although Barnett’s decision is by conservative groups, gay and straight couples alike feel inconvenienced and disturbed. One straight couple in the county had to move up their marriage—and were forced to use a borrowed wedding ring—in order to guarantee that they could have a ceremony. County supervisor Don Maben is concerned that the decision will “deny poorer and far-flung rural couples access to weddings, because the clerk’s office has long been a refuge for those wanting nonreligious or cheap nuptials.”
Source: The New York Times
Background: California Legalizes Gay Marriage
The California Supreme Court ruled in May to overturn a state law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. On June 16, the courthouse in Los Angeles County will begin performing gay marriages. “We expect that when the decision goes into effect, that there will be an initial peak in the volume of people coming into our office,” said Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan.
Source: findingDulcinea
Opinion & Analysis: Explaining Barnett’s Decision
Rick Wartzman’s opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times notes the existence of e-mails that suggest that the decision was based more on opposition to gay marriage than legitimate budgetary or space concerns. He explains that Kern County’s “public officials and others in positions of power have always exhibited a fierce conservative bent.” Warzman offers a history of Kern’s primarily right-oriented politics and predicts that no one in the area will protest the decision.
Source: Los Angeles Times
The Bakersfield Californian publishes some of the correspondence included in those e-mails and tracks Barnett’s opposition to same-sex marriage. When the Supreme Court announced its decision, Barnett asked County Counsel Bernard Barmann to file a brief with the Court opposing the ruling. When Barnett learned she would be obligated to perform gay marriages, the clerk’s second-in-command e-mailed the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization opposing gay marriage. On behalf of the clerk he wrote, “Our question is, now that the Supreme Court has refused to stay its decision, will Alliance Defense Fund defend the County Clerk if she ceases performing all marriage ceremonies.” Whitney Weddell, a local gay marriage advocate, doesn’t mind that Barnett has bowed out from officiating at weddings: “Who really wants to be married by a hater?”
Source: The Bakersfield Californian
Related Topic: Other Offices Follow Suit
The Box Turtle Bulletin reports that in Butte County and Merced County, clerks subsequently announced that they will no longer be performing marriages, either. In Butte County, it looks as if the claim of limited budget and resources was sincere; the clerk’s office will authorize anyone to perform a marriage if he or she pays a small fee and fills out the appropriate paperwork. Auditor-Clerk Stephen Jones of Merced County appears to have had motives akin to Barnett’s; when those motives were questioned, he reversed the decision.
Source: Box Turtle Bulletin
© 2013 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
