She became widely known as “a woman in a rainbow dress” but her name is Laura Phillips and she’s an ordained minister and nurse from Fayetteville, Arkansas who rushed to the Carroll County Courthouse early Saturday morning to officiate the first same-sex marriages in “The Natural State.” A judge struck down the law prohibiting same-sex marriage?on Friday.
Phillips told BuzzFeed:
?I wanted to make sure that there was someone there to officiate.?I’m on the board of directors for the Northwest Arkansas Center for Equality, and I wanted to be there in case anything went wrong.?
Phillips officiated eight same-sex marriages, including that of the very first same-sex couple to legally marry in Arkansas, Kristin Seaton and Jennifer Rambo.?The best part of the entire morning may have been when the ceremony was nearly over and she said “by the power vested in me by the state of Arkansas.? Phillips yelled it as the surrounding crowd cheered and wiped away tears.
?I might have been yelling with my whole heart. I was shaking,? Phillips said of that moment. ?I had to pull over on the way home. It was amazing and it’s still kind of sinking in ? the magnitude of what happened yesterday.?
After a bumpy start of the clerk refusing to issue licenses, Carroll County Deputy Clerk Jane Osborn arrived to facilitate things and end the confusion.?By the time the office closed, 15 same-sex couples received marriage licenses, including one couple who has been together for 38 years.
The elderly parents of one of the women were there and were able to witness their daughter’s marriage ceremony.
?They sat on either side of her dad on the bench and her mom was standing beside me and called her granddaughter and grandkids and great-grandkids so they could listen to the ceremony,? Phillips said. ?I remember the dad saying, ?My daughter is getting married here today and I never thought I’d live to see it.??
Phillips is optimistic.
“A hell of a lot has changed in Arkansas, and a hell of a lot has changed in the South,? she said.
Read more and watch the video at BuzzFeed.
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Tiffany Willis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
