Chattanooga same-sex couples face new bureaucratic frontier

First came love, then came marriage.

Now comes the bureaucratic frontier.

For many same-sex couples rushing to get married after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to make gay marriage legal in all 50 states, exchanging vows is far from the finish line. A host of other marital matters – Social Security, taxes, health coverage and adoption rights – are now being reworked.

After Phyllis Wood and Rhiannan Pierce became the first same-sex couple to marry in Chattanooga, they wanted to keep up the momentum. Thinking of worst-case scenarios, they set out this week to get all their T’s crossed and I’s dotted to secure their rights as a married couple, and – most importantly – so Pierce could formally adopt the couple’s 4-year-old daughter.