Montgomery Celebrates Same Sex Marriage, Roy Moore Disappointed
After the decision by the the Supreme Court, people flocked to the Montgomery County probate office to celebrate.Â
That includes couples who had been married during the brief window Alabama allowed gay marriage earlier this year, and some who still wanted to make that commitment.Â
Que Bell and her wife were married in February and say they’re very happy with the decision, but the fight is not over.Â
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“There’s a lot to be done in the movement. There’s a lot of organizations on the ground working to make sure we have laws to protect us. Â Getting married is just the first step. To have the option, not everyone may want to make that commitment but everyone deserves the option,” said Bell.
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Montgomery was one of the handful of counties that issued same sex marriage licenses before the Alabama Supreme Court put a stop to it this year.Â
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Probate Judge Steven Reed says it’s been an honor to serve during this time of change.
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“There’s a history there with alabama not really following those federal court orders but also there’s a history of needing those court orders to advance civil rights and to advanced change in Alabama. So that is something that makes me proud to be in this position and proud to represent the people of Montgomery county,” said Reed.
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But there’s one man who thinks that the Supreme Court is walking over the states.
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“Well I was surprised. I thought they would recognize state’s rights under the 10th amendment. They didn’t,” said Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore.
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Moore still thinks Alabama’s vote to ban same sex marriage should count. But he says probate judges are jumping the gun because the state’s injuction is still in place for another 25 days.Â
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“That doesn’t contradict the United States Supreme Court because that ruling is still not effective until the time for rehearing is up. So I think there’s a lot of confusion about something there shouldn’t be confusion about,” said Moore.
