Boelter called Broadbrooks an asset to the office, saying his positive attitude “has given us a needed shot in the arm.”

“I rely on a lot of the people I work with. This is my family, and I spend most of my waking hours with these people,” Broadbrooks said. “They’re people who I thought would be there for me, but now I think maybe some of these people would not be there for me.”

“I’m not going to turn around and judge them,” Broadbrooks said. “We live in a free country. But I do think marriage equality is a big step forward.”

Boelter said the decision not to require deputy clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples relied on Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate based on a number of factors, including religion.

“The majority of the staff is supportive of (the judge’s) order and are following it,” she said. “I said to (the deputy clerks), ‘Guys, we took an oath. This is what I was elected to do, and we will issue licenses to same-sex couples according to the order.’”

Boelter said she believes “there will be a lot of tension in the office because of this. I would like this to blow over, but I don’t think it will.

”If you are going to be in turmoil, this is not the job for you,” Boelter said. “You have to be thick-skinned to work in this office. We have cases where children are being abused, where women and men are abused in divorce cases. We need to learn to separate our personal feelings from the job.”

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