Gay MO Republin fac another censure vote om Jackson County GOP over marriage amendment

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gay upl across Kansas head Thursday to unty offic where judg granted marriage licens and waived wag perds after a U.S. Supreme Court lg cleared the way for same-sex unns over the objectns of the state's attorney general. Dpe a legal tangle volvg the state Supreme Court, gay partners moved ahead wh weddg plans. One uple married ont of the urthoe Manhattan, Kansas. "We got !" Joleen Hickman said as she held up her marriage license to cheers, The Manhattan Mercury reported. She and Darci Bohnenblt, her partner of 19 years, said their vows before the Rev. Caela Simmons Wood clared that "by the power of your love, and the prence of all the wns gathered here today, and perhaps most importantly for this moment as regnized by the state of Kansas, I now pronounce that you are legally married." Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Wednday that a separate lawsu he has filed wh the state Supreme Court should prevent gay marriage all but the two unti that were home to s vered the lg om the natn's pal. But his office did not rpond to qutns Thursday as upl beyond Douglas and Sedgwick unti picked up marriage licens. Schmidt prevly said 's his duty to exhst all optns to uphold the state's gay marriage ban, bee voters overwhelmgly approved 2005. Schmidt's lawsu me after dozens of gay upl a large suburban unty on the Missouri borr received marriage licens last month. One uple was married and about 70 others received licens before the lawsu rulted an orr for officials there to stop. The Kansas Supreme Court issued a statement Thursday announcg that will beg liberatg gay marriage Monday, but upl and their supporters weren't wag to see how that plays out. Jackie Carter, pastor at First Metropolan Communy Church Wicha, said a dozen upl applied for, or picked up, marriage licens and plan to take part a mass weddg Monday at Wicha's old cy urthoe. Dozens more dited they would be there, she said, addg that she wouldn't be surprised to see 100 to 150 people take part. But as gay upl gaed the right to marry a handful of plac, those Johnson County — where the legal tangle me to a head after a U.S. Supreme Court cisn Oct. 5 — were left to wa. Officials that suburban Kansas Cy area said they would not move forward on the issue until the state Supreme Court led. The U.S. Supreme Court's lg on Kansas was closely watched for whether jtic would change their practice followg last week's appellate lg that upheld gay marriage bans Kentucky, Michigan, Oh and Tennsee. Those s now are head to the high urt, meang the gay marriage issue natnwi uld be heard and cid by late June. The U.S. Supreme Court last month cled to hear s om three feral appeals urts that had overturned gay marriage bans and several stat moved to adopt the practice. Same-sex unns are now legal 32 stat. "I didn't thk that I'd live long enough to see happen this state," said LuAnn Lewis, who picked up a license to marry her partner of seven years, acrdg to The Topeka Capal-Journal. Js Penn and Shanon Fletcher applied for a marriage license at the Lyon County Courthoe, which refed to issue them a license last month, The Emporia Gazette reported. "The elected officials this state are workg hard to block this yet aga," Fletcher said. "But somethg that has held te my entire life is, 'Love nquers all.' And eventually will nquer here. Love will prevail over hate." ___ Associated Prs wrers Roxana Hegeman Wicha, Kansas, and Mark Sherman Washgton ntributed to this report. * gay marriage kansas city missouri *

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Same-sex marriag have begun the Kansas Cy area after a feral judge led that Missouri's ban on gay marriage vlat the U.S. Constutn. A retired judge performed a marriage ceremony yterday (FRI) for John Rodricks and Robert Gann at the Jackson County urthoe followg a lg earlier the day by U.S. District Judge Ortrie R. Smh. Smh's lg me days after a state judge St. Louis also validated Missouri's gay marriage ban. Marriage licens now are beg issued to same-sex upl both the Kansas Cy and St. Louis areas. But other officials across the state aren't followg su. Smh wrote that he was layg the effect of his cisn durg an appeal, but officials Jackson County cid to issue the licens anyway. * gay marriage kansas city missouri *