New Mexico lesbian couple arrested after locking themselves together in state’s Marriage License Bureau
Bottom Highlights, Online Only Thursday, February 16th, 2012
Photo Credit: ABQ Journal
A lesbian couple was arrested in New Mexico Tuesday after chaining themselves with a bicycle lock in two chairs at the state’s Marriage License Bureau. The two women, April Parker, 38, and Amanda Rich, 31, were among 40 other protesters at the county clerk’s office in downtown Albuquerque.
According to the Albuquerque Journal and the Associated Press, the women were arrested but not taken to jail. Both Parker and Smith were issued tickets for trespassing and disorderly conduct.
The women protested against the state’s ban on same-sex marriage by stopping other petitioners from getting their marriage license.
“I’m sorry, but until we can get a marriage license, no one else can get a marriage license today,” the pair said. Both women refused to remove themselves from the line.
Although the New Mexico state constitution does not explicitly have language that bans same-sex marriage, it does not grant marriage licenses to gay or lesbian couples. The topic garnered debate last month when Republican state Rep. David Chavez proposed to amend the constitution to include language that would formally prohibit same-sex unions with proposed legislation that would also void the recognition of same-sex marriages and civil unions performed in other states.
Short URL: http://lgbtweekly.com/?p=20960
Posted by LGBT Weekly
on Feb 16, 2012. Filed under Bottom Highlights, Online Only.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
