Some hesitated, but all metro area counties now let gay couples marry

Carlos Frias celebrates the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to legalize gay marriage nationwide during a rally in front of the Bexar County Courthouse on Friday, June 26, 2015. Carlos Frias celebrates the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to legalize gay marriage nationwide during a rally in front of the Bexar County Courthouse on Friday, June 26, 2015. Photo: Lisa Krantz, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Lisa Krantz, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Some hesitated, but all metro area counties now let gay couples marry 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

It took a few days, but gender-neutral marriage licenses are now available in the county seats surrounding San Antonio.

County clerks declined to take advantage of an opt-out offered by state leaders. Several said they needed time to acquire new paper forms — all they had were ones that referred to a “man” and “woman” — and most sought legal advice from their county or district attorneys in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s split decision Friday authorizing same sex marriage in all 50 states.

“I took an oath to uphold the law, and it is the law of the land,” said Atascosa County Clerk Diane Gonzales, who issued two licenses this week to female couples.

It was a refrain offered by several other metro-area county clerks.

Kendall County Clerk Darlene Herrin said she followed the the advice of County Attorney Don Allee and had issued a license to two men by Wednesday.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said clerks and justices of the peace who hold religious objections to same-sex unions are not obliged to facilitate them.

“I did think about it, because I am a devout Christian,” Bandera County Clerk Candy Wheeler said Wednesday. But she had her new forms ready when two local women requested a license Monday.

“We could face federal lawsuits and fines if we refused to issue them,” Wheeler said.

Guadalupe County Clerk Teresa Kiel on Friday issued the first of four licenses to same-sex couples after being advised that the gender-specific parts of the application could be whited out.

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