Erie judge ends legal limbo for couple’s marriage
By Lisa Thompson, Erie Times-News, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
An
The
But they did not do so after the landmark ruling in the Whitewood v. Wolf case, which in May legalized same-sex marriage in
Instead, the Tituses in
In the wake of the Whitewood decision in May, the legal status of the marriages of couples like the Tituses had remained in legal limbo.
But with a stroke of a pen by
"It is another step closer to equality for everyone,"
"Our wedding was great," she said.
But she said it is a relief to have the marriage legally affirmed.
Any questions about its validity are now "water under the bridge," she said.
"We can keep moving forward, not wondering," she said.
The Whitewood decision, authored by a
The judge said same-sex marriages from out of state must be recognized.
But his decision did not address the status of same-sex couples who had married with the
The state Commonwealth Court had eventually forced the
Having the marriage validated would address practical and legal concerns, such as taxes and health insurance benefits, she said. It was also their right, she said.
"They stood before friends and family and said the same vows everybody else says. In a way it is dehumanizing to say the commonwealth does not recognize that," she said.
Before a hearing could be held, however, Scarpitti entered into settlement negotiations with the state
The result is a settlement agreement modeled after one that was pursued by 22 other same-sex couples who, like the Tituses, had been married in 2013 with marriage licenses issued in
The state
But under the terms of the agreement, which was approved by Sambroak and filed in
"Both Wendy and T.J. are happy with the resolution, and thus, I am as well," Scarpitti said. "Given the circumstances surrounding the issuance of the license, I think that this is a fair compromise that benefits everyone. I had expected more difficulties, but the
"I came out in 2004. If you had told me then, that 10 years later we would have been here, I would have probably said, 'No way in Hades,'" she said.
"It is so affirming. People know we are not different. We are just like everybody else. It gives us a lot of hope."
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