Texas issues its first gay marriage license
Two Austin women were legally married on Thursday morning. A Travis County judge ordered the county clerk to issue a marriage license to the couple, who have been together for nearly 31 years.
Sarah Goodfriend and Suzanne Bryant were denied a marriage license eight years ago, but a lawyer petitioned their case, and District Judge David Wahlberg ordered county clerk Dana DeBeavoir to give them the license. In the petition, the couple said that not having a marriage license was causing them "irreparable harm," because Goodfriend has been diagnosed with and treated for ovarian cancer.
"It's very exciting," Bryant told The Austin American-Statesman before the wedding, which the couple's daughters attended. "My little one was worried about missing her history class. I said, 'We'll be making history.'"
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The news comes two days after a Travis County judge ruled Texas' gay marriage ban unconstitutional.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Political cartoons for November 16Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include presidential pardons, the Lincoln penny, and more
-
The vast horizons of the Puna de AtacamaThe Week Recommends The ‘dramatic and surreal’ landscape features volcanoes, fumaroles and salt flats
-
Asylum hotels: everything you need to knowThe Explainer Using hotels to house asylum seekers has proved extremely unpopular. Why, and what can the government do about it?
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
