Several counties in Missouri are now issuing same-sex marriage licenses, following Friday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court recognizing gay marriage as legal throughout the country. Boone County Recorder of Deeds Nora Dietzel says the transition simply involved updating the marriage license application and getting the legal approval.
She says they were ready and waiting to start issuing the licenses.
“We are very fortunate in Boone County to have our own legal counsel who was able to respond so quickly to this matter,” said Dietzel. “They made it a top priority so that we could begin this very quickly. I know that not all counties have that luxury.”
Dietzel says staff tried to be proactive and put measures in place to start issuing these licenses immediately after the high-court’s decision.
“I sat down with each of my staff members and made sure they were comfortable with the concept and that they would have no problems treating all applicants with the same level of excellent customer service that we’ve always been known for. We were really ready to go and it’s business as usual for the same-sex couples, just as it would be for any other couples that we issue to.”
Dietzel said they already had at least five couples request licenses by early Friday afternoon. Clay County also began issuing same sex marriage licenses on Friday as well as several other counties in the state.