Texas County Clerk Says No Gay Marriages “Just Yet”
“The County Attorney is taking a look at it…. But for now, the order doesn’t tell one to start issuing marriage licenses, so I don’t see a way where I have any authority to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples today.”
–Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, in a video interview posted on the website of the Austin American-Statesman following a Feb. 17 ruling by Travis County Probate Judge Guy Herman that found Texas’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Herman’s decision that the ban was unconstitutional stemmed from a real estate dispute between Austin resident Sonemaly Phrasavath and her former partner Stella Powell’s siblings. Phrasavath and Powell were in a relationship for eight years and were married in an unofficial and unrecognized ceremony in 2008 prior to Powell’s death from colon cancer in June of last year. Phrasavath had asked the courts to recognize her relationship with Powell as a common law marriage. Following Herman’s ruling, Phrasavath told the Austin American-Statesman, “It was never about property rights or about property. At least for me, it was about standing up for my relationship and my marriage. If I didn’t do that, I would have absolutely no voice.”
DeBeauvoir, a marriage equality supporter, praised Herman’s ruling, calling it “very commendable” and saying she was proud of him. But she said she did not feel that she could begin issuing marriage licenses right away, instead deciding to seek legal advice. “It’s a step in the right direction,” DeBeauvoir said of Herman’s ruling, “but it’s not what we’re going to need to start acting just yet.”
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.