Two Pennsylvania Gay Couples Marry Over the Weekend

Same-sex couples are rushing to the altar after an official in Montgomery County started handing out marriage licenses last week.

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Gay wedding bells have been ding-donging in Pennsylvania since the decision last week by Montgomery County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes to grant marriage licenses to gay couples. More than 25 LGBTers have received marriage licenses, and some haven’t wasted a moment before taking the plunge. The first couple to wed was Loreen Bloodgood and Alicia Terrizzi of Pottstown, and this weekend two more couples have tied the knot.

On Saturday, Bolton Winpenny and James Booth said their “I do’s” at the Pride Festival of Central Pa, reports pennlive.com, in front of a small group of friends and family. The ceremony was presided over by Rev. Lori E. Rivera of the Metropolitan Community Church of the Spirit, an 82-member Christian church that ministers to the LGBT community. When asked about her feelings on the occasion, Rivera said, ““I think it’s very cool. … I was honored to be asked and thrilled to know I was one of the first ones doing it.”

Dee Spagnuolo and Sasha Ballen were married in their Wynnewood home on Sunday, according to the Daily Reporter. The couple has been together for 21 years, and they have three children together. “It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t political — it was purely out of love,” Spagnuoo said in the Daily Reporter piece. “This is a day that every committed couple waits for.”

So far, no one has stepped up to challenge these marriages, which, obviously defy a state law that bans same-sex marriage. The Daily Reporter says that Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman, a Republican, has called the move illegal, “but she said it’s not her place to intervene.” A spokesman from Governor Corbett’s office said that it’s up to county office-holders to uphold the law but there is still no word on whether or not he’ll step in.

UPDATED [7/21/2013, 8:23 a.m.]: Governor Corbett’s administration spearheads effort to stop gay marriages in Montgomery County. More here.

UPDATED [8/2/2013, 12:22 p.m.]: Montgomery county officials ask judge to toss out lawsuit that would stop marriage in their district. More here.

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