The mayor of Braddock, Penn., said this week that he doesn’t care about state law — he’s performing same-sex marriages anyway. And since Monday, he has.
It’s the second county in the state to blatantly defy laws against same-sex marriage. Montgomery County has been issuing licenses to gay couples for weeks now.
KDKA TV reported that Braddock Mayor John Fetterman performed the gay marriage ceremony of Bill Gray and John Kandray after the two obtained a license in Montgomery County, about four hours down the road.
“I just think it’s time people in Pennsylvania say, [Gov. Tom] Corbett, you know, tear down this law,” he said, to the local television station. The mayor also said in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he’ll marry any gay couple with a license.
So far, 82 gay couples petitioned for marriage licenses in Montgomery County, since officials there began defying the state ban on same-sex unions, in July.
The state is embroiled in a legal showdown with civil rights attorneys now. The Health Department is set to file a brief in Commonwealth Court to order the county stop performing the unions, while the American Civil Liberties Union has stepped into the picture with a petition to toss the 1996 state ban on gay marriage.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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