On First Day, 3 Same Sex Couples Get Marriage Licenses In NK

No sooner did the Town Clerk's office open for business Thursday, Aug. 1, then a couple came in seeking a marriage license. What made it special was it was a same-sex couple seeking a marriage license in North Kingstown at the very first instant it was possible.

Same sex marriage became legal in Rhode Island Aug. 1. Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed it into law in May.

By 3 p.m. Thursday, two more same-sex couples had come in for marriage licenses.

"I was very excited," said NK Town Clerk Jeannette Alyward, Thursday afternoon. She said she’d gotten one inquiry earlier in the week and that couple did come in, but the office hadn’t known about the other two.

Same-sex civil union year was legalized in 2011, but there had been no takers for civil union in North Kingstown, Alyward said. Before Aug. 1, couples who lived in Rhode Island had to get a marriage license in the city or town where the bride lived. Now, for all couples, a license can be obtained from the city or town where either member of the couple lives.

“This means a lot to me personally because I have a brother who’s been with the same partner for 25 years,” Alyward said. They live in Cranston and plan to to marry sometime next spring.

“So I’m pleased,” Alyward said. “Everything’s gone smoothly. It’s just as easy as doing a traditional ... can’t even say that anymore, because this is going to become the norm.”