Four same-sex couples from Chatham County gathered at 9:30 a.m. Thursday and walked in to the Chatham County Courthouse to apply for marriage licenses.
The couples knew they would be denied a license under Georgia’s ban on same-sex marriages, but they wanted to participate in the May Day Georgia Marriage Equality Campaign.
The campaign was started by a same-sex couple from the Atlanta area, Sabrina and Joyce Jones-Smith of LouddMouthRadio.com, and the initiative called on same-sex couples, who want to get married, to go to their local courthouse in Georgia on May 1 and peacefully apply for a marriage license.
The group then asked couples to take a photo of their denial papers from the court and post them on social media with the hashtag #MayDayGaEquality. They hope the movement will catch the attention of the state legislature to overturn the ban on gay marriage in Georgia.
Pastor Candace Hardnett and Evangelist Erika Majors from Agape Empowerment Ministries were one of the couples who applied for a marriage license.
The Probate Court is responsible for issuing marriage licenses, and the couples made their way up to the courthouse’s fifth floor, the location of the Probate Court, but they say their warm welcome at the courthouse suddenly turned sour.
“We knew we would get denied,” Hardnett said. “But it was still discouraging to be treated in that manner.
“We watched a heterosexual couple approach the clerk before us, and she handed them their application on a clipboard with pens, but when we approached she just handed us the application with no pens or clipboard.
“It was obvious her attitude was already very discouraged.”
Majors agreed about the cool reception from the clerk.
“One couple with us had already gotten legally married in Maryland, and they were told they couldn’t fill out a marriage license, but I know they let them do that in other counties in Georgia, like Fulton,” Majors said.
Chief clerk/administrator for Chatham’s Probate Court, Kim Birge, said she was on hand when the couples came into the court and confirmed the couple that was already married was not allowed to apply again for another marriage license.
“If you are married, you are married,” she said. “You can’t get married once you are already married … whether it’s a same-sex marriage or not.”
Birge maintains her staff was professional during the encounter.
“Everyone was treated very respectfully. We follow the law to the letter.
“I saw no one acting rude. We don’t act rude. … I thought we treated them very well.”
Birge said probate court is responsible for handling a laundry list of documents like wills, adoptions and other sensitive items and it’s hard to make sure everyone feels they are getting the attention they feel they deserve.
“I’m the chief clerk, and I can say everyone was treated with respect.”
Birge added that the judge asked her office not to make any comments on the topic.
Gina Williams and her partner Renita Mitchell also applied for a marriage license.
“She just threw our (drivers) licenses at us on the table,” Mitchell said. “She was very abrupt and just handed us the application. We were not informed about what we needed to do to fill out the forms and when we asked for a list, she was reluctant to give it to us.”
“It’s very discouraging to see the attitude toward us,” Williams said. “All we want is equality.
“We are two human beings who just happen to be a same-sex couple. We are also God-fearing people, Christians, and we just want to be treated like everyone else.”
Mitchell agreed.
“I really feel like I should have been approved. I feel very let down right now.”
Williams tried to cheer up her partner with a joke.
“I know, this is supposed to be the Hostess City!” she said with a laugh but got serious again.
“It hurts. You go in happy and then you walk out feeling let down.
“I knew what was going to happen, but I didn’t know I would feel this way.”
Hardnett agreed and said she was also surprised by the way she felt when she walked out of the courtroom.
“It doesn’t ever feel good to be denied,” she said. “It’s a right that should belong to us.
“It’s frustrating to know we could go to D.C., where I am from, and if we did this there, we would already be on our way with a marriage license.”
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