A Pittsburgh-area mayor has married two men who obtained a license from a Philadelphia-area official who has issued more than 60 licenses to same-sex couples despite a state law that defines marriage as a contract between one man and one woman.
Braddock, Pa. Mayor John Fetterman tells KDKA-TV he performed the ceremony Monday night because he believes Pennsylvania's Defense of Marriage Act is “a fundamentally unjust piece of legislation.”
John Kandray and Bill Gray, of Pittsburgh, say they've been together for 11 years and Gray says they got married to prove their commitment to one another.
“It felt like, you know what, let’s stand up for ourselves and do this,” Kandray told KDKA.
The Corbett administration has sued to stop Montgomery County clerk D. Bruce Hanes from issuing more licenses, while that county's attorneys are defending Hanes' right to violate a law the official believes is unconstitutional.
As the legal battle about gay marriage in Pennsyvlania conitnues, the demand for same-sex licenses continues to be strong.
A Montgomery County spokesman said 16 same-sex couples were issued marriage licenses Monday. That's the highest single-day figure yet in the nearly two weeks since county officials began defying a state ban on such unions.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Meanwhile, the state Commonwealth Court says it will schedule arguments after briefs are filed on the state Department of Health's request to stop Montgomery County from issuing the licenses. The state must file its brief by Aug. 12, and the county must file by Aug. 19.
