PHOENIX (AP) – Gay marriage has become legal in Arizona after the state’s conservative attorney general said Friday that he wouldn’t challenge a federal court decision that cleared the way for same-sex unions in the state.
The announcement prompted gay couples to line up at the courthouse in downtown Phoenix, where they began to marry immediately.
It was a sharp turn. Less than a year ago Arizona was ground zero in the clash over gay rights after the overwhelmingly Republican state Legislature passed a measure that would have allowed businesses to deny service to gays and lesbians.
David Larance and Kevin Patterson, who were among the couples who sued to overturn the state’s same-sex marriage ban, waited in the growing line for wedding licenses and reflected on the effect of the ruling. “The best way I can describe it, is that it gives me such peace of mind,” Patterson said, choking back tears.
Shortly after they were married to cheers on the courthouse lawn. “This is a great day,” Patterson said. “I never thought this would happen in Arizona.”