Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett's administration is suing to prevent a county register of wills from issuing same-sex marriage licenses. The Corbett administration also contends that the 154 licenses already issued by Montgomery County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes aren't valid, nor is the effort by couples who have received licenses to intervene in the case. And boy do they have some
appalling reasoning for excluding the couples:
"Had the clerk issued marriage licenses to 12-year-olds in violation of state law, would anyone seriously contend that each 12-year-old . . . is entitled to a hearing on the validity of his 'license'?" the state wrote.
Um, I guess it's a little less insulting than using the dog or box turtle analogies of the not so distant past? But nonetheless, think of all those couples who, when states adopt marriage equality, show up for their licenses after decades together, owning homes, having children, sharing their lives, holding ceremonies to affirm a commitment the government had refused to recognize. And to the state of Pennsylvania under Corbett, those people are no more than children.
Thanks, Gov. Corbett, but we actually didn't need another demonstration of how desperate and weak Republican arguments against marriage equality are.