Pa. gay couple gets married as county becomes defiant of state ban
Two women in the state of Pennsylvania have become trail blazers of sorts. 45-year-old Alicia Terrizzi and 40-year-old Loreen Bloodgood exchanged vows on Tuesday according to the Associated Press on July 24.
According to Montgomery County Chairman Josh Shapiro, the willingness of the county to issue licenses to gay couples and defy the state ban is his belief that the state of Pennsylvania will eventually welcome marriage equality.
The state currently has a statute that defines marriage as the union of “one man and one woman and thus bans the recognition of same-sex marriages. Back on July 9, 23 plaintiffs filed a suit in the Federal District Court in Harrisburg to overturn the ban citing the ruling of the United States Supreme Court striking down the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
Gay marriage in the state got a jolt when Pennsylvania’s attorney general, Kathleen Kane, said that she would not defend the state against a lawsuit to overturn a ban on same-sex marriage.
As for now, Alicia Terizzi and Loreen Bloodgood are the first gay couple to marry in the state. Although it is not legal by definition of the state, they hope that very soon it will be.