Licenses Refused, Lesbian Couples Marry Anyway
by Fidel Ortega
365Gay.com Newscenter

(Miami, Florida) Wendy LaChaunce and Bonnie Alberti were not hopeful, but they still thought it was worth a try getting a marriage license at the Sarasota County Courthouse.

When the couple, who have been together for 25 years, went to the counter at the County Clerk's office they were read the Florida law that bars same-sex marriage. They were then given copies of a booklet on family law in the state.
But, that didn't stop LaChaunce and Alberti. They were married on the courtyard of the courthouse anyway.

"I didn't expect the wondrous, joyous feeling I have now," LaChaunce told the Bradenton Herald following the ceremony that was performed by Rev. Rick Sosbe of Church of the Trinity.

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Bill to Ban Gay Marriages Picking Up Speed in Legislature

According to the 2000 census, there are households in every county in Alabama that call themselves same sex couples. Gay rights activists like Felicia Fontaine and Barb Collins are counting on that to stop the constitutional ban on same sex marriages if and when it comes up for a vote.

According to Fontaine, there are a number of organizations in the gay community, to work against this, in the fall. Fontaine and Collins will celebrate their 25th anniversary this October, but according to state officials, their civil union ceremony in Vermont five years ago isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

Health insurance is one big reason this couple plans to fight the proposed amendment. Despite Collins' government health insurance, she can't use it to cover her partner, who is undergoing cancer treatments. All they want is a normal life, just like everyone else. If the Alabama House of Representatives passes the constitutional ban on gay marriages, that isn't likely to happen.