Equality State Finally True to its Name
Wyoming couple Bonnie Robinson and Anne Guzzo were featured in Out Front back in March after filing a lawsuit with three other couples against the state’s gay marriage ban, but a battle which potentially could have lasted years suddenly came to an end on Oct. 21.
“It was something we never thought we would see in our lifetimes until very recently,” says Anne, who was at the Albany County Clerk’s Office with Bonnie the day same-sex marriage became legal. “There’s a lot of joy today. We brought roses with us to give to anyone who might be getting a license.”
Bonnie added she almost couldn’t believe that any same-sex couple in Wyoming could now just walk into a county clerk’s office and receive a marriage license. “It still seems surreal that it’s finally here after all this time.”
Bonnie and Anne thought they were going to have to wait until December for their day in court, followed by months of appeals. But on Oct. 6, the US Supreme Court refused to hear a ruling by the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals declaring Utah’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional.
Six states fall under the jurisdiction of the 10th Circuit, including Colorado and Wyoming. “I was disappointed that it wasn’t going to go to the Supreme Court,” says Bonnie, equating the last few weeks as a roller-coaster ride. “But then I was excited that it made it legal in Wyoming, but then upset [again] when I realized the governor was still denying marriage licenses.”
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead stated the Supreme Court’s decision had no impact on Wyoming and that he would continue to enforce the state’s gay marriage ban. In return, the attorneys representing Bonnie and Anne as part of the original lawsuit sued the state in federal court to immediately allow same-sex couples to marry.
“One of the things I was very surprised at was that the state brought no evidence — literally nothing,” says Anne, who attended the hearing with Bonnie. “It really felt to me like there was political grandstanding on the governor’s part because when it actually came down to the lawsuit, he pretty much didn’t do anything.”
Nor did the governor show up for the hearing. On Oct. 17, US District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl ruled that Wyoming’s statute prohibiting same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Wyoming did not appeal the ruling, becoming the 32nd state to legalize gay marriage.
For Bonnie, the most memorable moment during the last few weeks was when she was welcoming couples at the county clerk’s office. “A couple came up to me, and one of them had tears in her eyes and she hugged me and thanked me because their marriage is now recognized.”
For Anne, it was when she was sitting in the courtroom with a front row seat to the judicial system at work. “You can’t cheat the constitution, and that’s why I felt particularly proud to be an American in Wyoming. The Constitution worked. It protected our rights.”
But Anne acknowledges there are still same-sex couples lacking basic protections, with 18 states currently prohibiting gay marriage. “We just want [same-sex marriage] for the whole country,” says Anne. “We want it for everyone.”
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