MANSFIELD, Ohio – History was made in Mansfield on Friday as Richland County’s first legal same-sex marriage ceremony was held on the lawn of the Richland County Courthouse.
In a close 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled early Friday that the Constitution guarantees a nationwide right to same-sex marriage. Shortly after the ruling was announced, Bryan Dwiggins and Christopher Weaver were at the Richland County Courthouse to apply for a marriage license.
“We already took today off because it’s my birthday, and we heard there may be a decision at 10 o’clock today,” said Dwiggins. “We were ready.”
“I think the decision came out at 10:05 and we were here at 10:10,” said Weaver.
The couple had to wait while Richland County Probate Judge Philip Mayer read over the 103-page ruling, but were just outside when the call came from courthouse staff.
The happy couple made history twice in the same day, as the first same-sex couple to receive a license and a few hours later as the first same-sex couple to be legally married in Richland County.
Reverend Jim Pierce officiated the ceremony and said he was excited to be part of the historic event. “Who would have ever thought that we’d be standing here doing this?” he asked.
The couple did not exchange rings, but exchanged vows written by Pierce in anticipation of the day that same-sex marriage would become legal in Ohio. “I knew it was coming, but I didn’t know how soon,” said Pierce. “I have a partner also, so I was anticipating when this day would come. When the Supreme Court made the decision today, it was emotional.”
The ceremony was witnessed by Weaver’s parents and a friend, as well as Mayer, who stopped to watch on his way to lunch.
“I thought, ‘How neat,’” said Mayer, “not only did I issue the first one, but I could come by and I could be an observer of the actual ceremony.”
The couple have been together for eight years, said Dwiggins, and have considered themselves married since a ceremony at Ashland University two years ago. “We just did that because we didn’t care about a ruling at that point; we just wanted to have it for ourselves,” he said.
The couple discussed traveling to another state for a legal wedding, but decided to wait for Ohio to recognize same-sex marriage before having a legal ceremony.
“We were hopeful, but apprehensive,” said Weaver of Friday’s ruling. “We knew the decision was going to come sooner or later. Whether it was going to be good or bad, we really felt it was going to be good, but with something that big, it could have been heartbreaking.”
Kevin Kincaid-Shoaf, of the Mansfield Gay Pride Association, said of the ruling, “It’s very exciting.”
Kincaid-Shoaf and his husband were married out of state in October. Thanks to Friday’s ruling, their marriage must now be recognized in all U.S. states and territories.
“We were not expecting Ohio to have marriage equality any time soon, until it got to the courts, so being able to have our marriage fully recognized at home is very, very helpful,” he said.
Same-sex marriage was previously legal in 37 states and banned in 13, including Ohio. In fact, it was an Ohio case, as well as cases from Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee that spurred the ruling as couples from those states challenged the same-sex marriage ban.
Friday’s ruling has been anticipated for months, with many states preparing for a flood of same-sex marriage applicants.
Mayer said that he had removed the gender portion of the Richland County marriage license more than a month ago, changing the wording to read “applicant” instead of using gender markers such as bride and groom.
Richland County Court Administrator Anita Snow-O’Brien noted that a few changes needed to be made with white-out to today’s application, but not the actual license. She added that new applications are currently in process.
She said that all couples are welcome to apply for a marriage license. For those interested in applying, she added, a few things are required: driver’s license or state identification, social security number, and $60 in cash. Also, if an applicant has been married before, a certified copy of divorce decree or death certificate, as the case may be, is required.
