More good news from New Mexico – AG Gary King will not challenge the marriage licenses being issued to same sex couples in Dona Ana County. LGBTQ Nation reports:
New Mexico Attorney General Gary King says he will not challenge a move by a Dona Ana County clerk to issue same-sex marriage licenses. King told reporters Wednesday at a news conference that he didn’t believe state laws prohibiting same-sex marriage were constitutional. He also said he would not challenge any other county clerk who issued licenses.
Meanwhile, one of the lesbian couples seeking the right to marry wants the courts to hurry things along. Queerty reports:
Jen Roper has a life-threatening form of brain cancer that has caused her health to severely deteriorate in the past few months. Together with the woman she considers her wife, Angelique Neuman, they have raised three kids, the eldest of whom is currently in basic training in the U.S. Army. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Roper and Neuman filed the emergency order today. Then, unexpectedly, the clerk in Dona Ana County decided that the “state’s marriage statutes are gender neutral and do not expressly prohibit Dona Ana County from issuing marriage licenses to same-gender couples,” according to a statement obtained by the AP.
Nothing in New Mexico law specifically allows or bans same sex marriage – we hope the courts will jump in here soon and clarify gay and lesbian couples’ rights to marry in the state.
Find more articles and gay wedding resources in New Mexico.