Corey Blount (Left) and Kurt Smith (right) hold their marriage license in front of the courthouse Monday. (DM Photo| Logan Kirkland)
After State Attorney General Jim Hood sent a letter Monday to county circuit clerks giving them the green light to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, Lafayette County hosted its first same-sex marriage ceremony at the courthouse on the Square in Oxford.
Anxious and nervous, Corey Blount, teaching assistant for the university’s intensive English program and Kurt Smith, project coordinator for the intensive English program, waited in the office of circuit clerk Baretta Mosely as the official paperwork was filed and the marriage license was signed.
Upon receiving their marriage license, the couple was greeted with cheers as they left the office and entered into the lobby of the courthouse.
The couple and their supporters moved to the steps of the courthouse where they posed for a picture holding their newly issued marriage license. Chatter amongst the group focused on finding someone to officiate their wedding.
“When we arrived at work today we just thought it was going to be a normal Monday until someone asked Kurt where he was going for lunch and he said ‘to get married’,” Oxford resident Lance Herrington said. “We were all kind of giddy driving down here with excitement and also nervous.”
Herrington said the majority of supporters who came to the courthouse were friends and colleagues from the intensive English program at the university. The main purpose of being there was to show moral and emotional support for both Kurt and Corey.
“I think a lot of us didn’t want them to have to come alone to do what could be possibly a negative experience, but turned out wonderfully positive,” Herrington said.
The excited group was soon interrupted by circuit clerk Baretta Mosely, who announced that circuit court judge Andrew Howorth was available to officiate the wedding ceremony.
“It really broke my heart that he was so nice, that he was willing to show his support,” Kurt Smith said.
“He’s a public figure and that he would show public support for this is remarkable.”
On Friday, the U.S.Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law mean that states cannot ban same-sex marriages. But Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, advised circuit clerks to delay issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples until the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifts a hold that was put on a lower court’s ruling in lawsuit that sought to legalize gay marriage in Mississippi
“It’s been a rollercoaster for the past week with the anticipation that same-sex marriage would be legalized and then with the state governance intervening on that day,” Smith said. “At that point, how often does any other couple have to say, ‘Well, at what time will it be legal for me to get married?’
Smith said they saw the update that the Attorney General had ordered and they immediately called the clerk’s office and got the OK.
“We rushed down as soon as possible before something like what happened in Alabama happens where they say ‘oh never mind’ and they try to block it again,” Smith said.
The crowd followed closely behind the circuit judge and the couple to the upstairs courtroom. Friends eagerly sat in the pews waiting for the couple walk through those doors and become a part of history.
The doors opened and someone in the crowd played Wagner’s Bridal Chorus from a phone as they walked down the aisle. Laughter, smiles and happiness filled the room as the two placed rings on each other’s hands.
“It still doesn’t feel real hearing the word husband,” Smith said. “It’s amazing that we could be a part of something that is decades in the making.”
Now that same-sex marriage is legal, Smith said there will be a cultural shift throughout the country.
“For generations we’ve been used to ‘there’s no such thing, it’s not even an option.’ Now, with it being an option, the entire gay culture is going to be shifting towards normalization and being able to participate in a ceremony just like all of our straight friends do.”
Blount said that they have waited for this moment as a couple for six years, and to see it happening this fast is unbelievable.
“We are the same, God loves us and God put his hand over our relationship,” Blount said. “Now we are being recognized like we should be.”
Herrington said there is nothing for anyone to be afraid of; this marriage was a very smooth, easy, happy positive process from everything that he observed and hopefully that will be the experience for all the counties in the state.
Herrington stood to take a picture of the couple as they said their vows. In the picture, he noticed the photographers and the United States flag and the Mississippi state flag in-between the couple. It reminded him what an important historic moment this was for the county.
“That summed it all up for me: the best Monday I’ve spent in years,” Herrington said. “I’m so excited to not only support my friends, but be a witness to history.”
