Boone County Will Begin Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses Monday

By Mike Perleberg (Boone County, Ky.) - Boone County’s Clerk of Courts will begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses for the first time Monday morning. While county clerks across Ohio, Kentucky, and dozens of other states began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples on Friday following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hayes, Boone County was a holdout. Republican Clerk of Courts Kenny Brown had questions over multiple issues with marriage laws following the ruling and ceased issuing licenses to any couples – gay or straight. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the clerk’s office had no requests for a license by a same-sex couple on Friday. On Sunday evening, Brown - whose Twitter handle is @rightwingclerk - said his concerns were addressed by the Kentucky Attorney General. “This unprecedented ruling makes drastic changes to state marriage laws and creates many questions and issues on multiple levels,” Brown said in a news release. “The obvious question is how it affects current Kentucky statues that govern the marriage process.” The Boone County Clerk’s Office will begin distributing marriage licenses starting at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Attorney General Jack Conway, both Democrats, had ordered on Friday that the state’s county clerks begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. RELATED STORIES: Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Same-Sex Marriage