CAMBRIDGE, Ohio -- A Cambridge man unable to secure a civil marriage ceremony for he and his partner in Guernsey County says a social media rant spurred the outpouring of state and national attention he has received over the last several days.
Thirty-seven-year-old Levi Wade told AVC News on Tuesday that he and his partner of three years obtained their marriage license - the first same-sex license to be issued in Guernsey County - on July 6, following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that legalized gay marriage nationwide. Wade said he did not realize the difficulty he would face in having a civil marriage performed in his home county:
After learning that the county and municipal judges, as well as Cambridge's mayor, were not performing civil marriages, Wade said that he vented his frustrations in a Facebook post over the weekend. This, in turn, led to messages from people all over the country, as well as media outlets such as The Columbus Dispatch and WBNS-TV:
Wade said that he and his partner are considering their options for marriage before their marriage license expires on Sept. 4, but for now, he is going to continue to press to have the ceremony performed by local officials:
Wade issued a written statement for media outlets on Tuesday evening, as well, which he read aloud for AVC News:
I was born and raised here, and taught that you have to stand up for what’s right, even if it’s scary, and even if you’re the only one standing. So, here we are.
My partner and I wanted a civil ceremony to do our best to try and respect the religious folks in the area. They should be in support of this option. We didn’t want to impose on ANY church and want to respect their beliefs. A state or civil wedding is the alternative to a marriage by clergy. We have had many offers since this started, and they are all wonderful, and we are grateful for every single one. However, that is not the point. The actions of officials here have created a “civil marriage dead zone”, and that is unfair to EVERYONE in the community. There are 40,000 people here.
There should be no religious argument or objection from any of the judges. The concept is simple. When you took the oath of office, you became an arm of the state. When you put on that robe, you ARE the state, and the state has no religion. They don't get to opt out of cases, or any of the other things that the government does on a daily basis that doesn’t mesh perfectly with a number of different religions. Divorce, liquor licenses, taxes, and banks being able to legally charge interest fall in this category. All of these things are frowned upon by religion, but the government does it anyway. Civil marriages are no different.
The Probate office website states that they issue about 200 marriage licenses per year. That’s about one per day. I’m sure we are not the first to be denied. We are only the first to point out that the door to civil marriage in this county has been slammed shut.
My own parents were married by the Mayor of Cambridge in 1976. We had hoped to get the same thing using the thought that if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us. Unfortunately, that door has also been slammed shut. In those days, the Mayor made house calls, and they were married right in the living room.
Too busy, bothersome, and “conflict of interest” seem to be a thin veil to hide fear of political backlash from some religious folks who are very vocal and seem to wield more sway than they should on a judge. I’m confident the judges could consult with other counties who have resolved this issue successfully to avoid these “conflicts”. Marriage licenses are good for 60 days, and it seems implausible, that between 3 judges they cannot find 15 minutes to marry a couple. As far as the probate judge not having done one and relying on the actions of a predecessor to justify his position, I don't think that is a fair or brave position to take. The judge claiming no jurisdiction is a curious case as well. We have photographs of him performing a wedding in the Cambridge Firehouse on 12/13/14. That’s only 7 months ago. I am not asking for it to be free, scheduled on the same day, or to have a ceremony any different than they have done in the past. I am only asking that one, or all three be brave enough to step up and walk the path that the Supreme court DARED to trod, and do for ALL the citizens of Guernsey county what, up until recently was not available through any means to some folks, and open a door to everyone that should have never been shut.
The Supreme Court has spoken, the attorney general, the governor, the Ohio supreme court all have said that equality is the law of the land. It's unfortunate that these elected officials, who should represent and protect everyone equally under the law, are choosing to harm everyone in the county in order to keep some Ohioans as second class citizens.
This is not a same-sex marriage issue, it’s a marriage issue. This option has been available for a VERY long time, and now, suddenly, within the last year, it’s not available anymore due what I believe is fear, and lack of resolve by a few.