Just Married in the Land of Enchantment

"Mass Gay Wedding in Santa Fe" was the news on Friday afternoon as
gay and lesbian couples flocked to the courthouse to get hitched.

Teh gay seems to be bustin' out all over the place now. Suck it, Putin.

This week, two counties in New Mexico began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On Wednesday, Lynn Ellins, the county clerk of Doña Ana County, which is next door to El Paso, Texas, took it upon himself to begin issuing marriage licenses, saying:

After careful review of New Mexico's laws it is clear that the state's marriage statutes are gender neutral and do not expressly prohibit Doña Ana County from issuing marriage licenses to same-gender couples. Any further denial of marriage licenses to these couples violates the United States and New Mexico Constitution and the New Mexico Human Rights Act. Doña Ana County is upholding New Mexico law by issuing these marriage licenses, and I see no reason to make committed couples in Doña Ana County wait another minute to marry.

Then late on Thursday afternoon, a state district judge ruled on a case brought by several gay couples that Santa Fe County, home of the state capital, must begin issuing marriage licenses, and the clerk there did so beginning on Friday afternoon. County clerk Geraldine Salazar stated:

I am a fervent supporter of same-sex marriage in New Mexico and have always believed that the restrictive and antiquated statutes in our State must fall to principles of equal protection embodied in our Constitution. I have been frustrated recently wanting to issue licenses but being confronted with long standing statutes that do not permit it. Now that Judge Singleton has ordered me to issue a license to Messrs. Hanna and Hudson on constitutional grounds, I intend to do so and to issue a license to any same-sex couple who desires one and are otherwise qualified. By complying with the judge’s order, we will be issuing licenses legally and will not continue to use limited county resources on further litigation.

New Mexico statutes do not specify that married couples have to be male-female.  No doubt there will be more lawsuits for and against marriage equality until it is finally settled, but seems like the dam is cracked beyond repair in New Mexico now.  Here's a video summary of this week's events: