Same-Sex Couples Shatter Marriage Records in Utah

Opponents of gay marriage often claim that gays will destroy marriage and even will claim that most gays don't really want marriage.  Locally, many of our friends are traveling to gay friendly states to get married even though Virginia continues to treat gays as less than full citizens, if not less than fully human.  Indeed, it seems that every day or so I hear of more gays and lesbians in Hampton Roads getting married in DC, Maryland or New York.  Meanwhile, in Utah, the recent federal court ruling striking down Utah's gay marriage bans has let loose a veritable torrent of same sex marriages.  The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

In the week since a federal judge overturned Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage, the number of weddings in the state has skyrocketed, shattering records and accruing thousands of dollars for Utah’s 29 counties.

As of close of business Thursday, more than 1,225 marriage licenses had been issued in Utah since last Friday, according to numbers obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune. Of those, at least 74 percent were issued to gay and lesbian couples.

That’s more than 905 same-sex couples who received marriage licenses in a week punctuated by holidays and limited — in some counties — by when their clerk began to adhere to U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby’s order.

Salt Lake County had the most marriages in the state this week, which is typical. But the numbers themselves were anything but. 

Shattering a previously held record of 85 marriages in a given day, Salt Lake County handed out 353 on Monday — their first full day of issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Since last Friday, Salt Lake County gave out about 705 certificates, of which more than 90 percent were same-sex couples, said Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen . . .

Hopefully, the 10th Circuit will ultimately affirm the District Court ruling and the number of marriages will continue at full speed in the interim.