Last week, Connie Garcia and Crystal Stodghill were the first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license in Lubbock County. Tuesday, they returned to the Lubbock County Courthouse to be married.
They had a small, private ceremony officiated by Justice of the Peace, Aurora Chaides-Hernandez of Precinct 3.
After the the Supreme Court invalidated same-sex marriage bans nationwide, Lubbock County Justice of the Peace Jim Hansen of Precinct 1 issued a statement saying that he will no longer issue marriage licenses at all. Judge Hernandez has continued issuing marriages, Garcia and Stogdhill are the 124th couple she has wed.
Hernandez issued a statement in regards to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling saying that:
“Although there are those who would argue that the June, 26 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which stated that- states cannot ban same-sex marriage- burdens religious conduct, the fact is, that the U.S. Supreme Court has the final say in Constitutional interpretation… As such and for those reasons, I will continue to perform wedding ceremonies as I have always done for the past 21 years.”
Hernandez added that she has wed two same-sex couples prior to Garcia and Stodghill.
Though this was one of the first weddings Hernandez performed for a same-sex couple, Garcia felt that Hernandez handled the service well.
“I didn’t feel any judgment, she treated us like any other couple she was marrying, that was cool to have someone who was so casual about it,” Garcia said of Hernandez.
“For some of these people out there who are trying to fight (same-sex marriage), it’s a big deal, but to us, it’s not a big deal, it’s just us trying to show our love the way other couples do,” Garcia said.
The couple was taken aback by the amount of media attention they received after being first in Lubbock to obtain a marriage license. Garcia and Stodghill acted quickly to make their marriage official once the Supreme Court decision was issued, not realizing the amount of public attention they’d receive.
“We hoped it would happen someday, we didn’t expect it to happen so soon,” Garcia said of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
At the ceremony, Garcia and Stodghill exchanged rings and vows in front of a few family members. They headed up to the county clerk’s office afterward to finalize their marriage license. Stodghill has decided to take Garcia’s last name because it’s significance to their family.
