When do you think the first same-sex marriage in the U.S. was? 2008? 2004? Try 1975.
In a new video, Matt Baume looks at the story of Clela Rorex, the Boulder, Colorado clerk who issued the first marriage license to a same-sex couple in the U.S., a move that would ultimately cost her her job:
“Clela had only been in office a few weeks when two guys named Dave showed up at the counter and asked for a marriage license. She had never met any other out gay people in her life. And she had no idea what to do. She said, let me look into this. She checked on the law and she did some thinking and eventually came back and said, yeah, I can do this. All told, Clela issued six marriage licenses to six same-sex couples.”
Speaking with Clela about the Supreme Court's recent ruling on same-sex marriage, Clela said, “I don't feel vindicated but I feel validated because it was the right decision to begin with.”
Watch Baume's video below:
