Two Key West men, whose lawsuit helped pave the way for same-sex marriage equality in Florida, are to wed on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, in the first same-sex marriage held in the Florida Keys.
Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones, who completed their application paperwork at Key West’s Monroe County Courthouse on Friday, January 2, 2015, are to receive the Keys’ first marriage licence and then exchange vows outside the courthouse.
In July 2014, in response to the couple’s lawsuit protesting Florida’s 2008 ban on same-sex marriage, Florida Keys Judge Luis Garcia ruled that the ban was discriminatory and unconstitutional.
But the state appealed, putting wedding plans on hold for Huntsman and Jones — until New Year’s Day, when U.S. Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that Florida’s county court clerks can issue licences to same-sex couples beginning at midnight on Monday, January 5.
At the courthouse on Friday, Huntsman and Jones displayed a certificate showing they had completed a premarital course, signed their application before circuit court clerk Amy Heavilin, and paid the fee that will allow them to receive their licence and marry.
According to a spokesperson for the clerk’s office, the office will open at 11:30 p.m. on Monday night and prepare to issue up to 100 marriage licences to same-sex couples.
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