Wisconsin clerks reverse on gay marriage licenses

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MILWAUKEE — Some Wisconsin county clerks who initially said they would not issue marriage licenses to gay couples are doing so after couples insisted they would not be turned away.

Clerks in Appleton and Green Bay began accepting applications for licenses late Monday morning.

Couples have been going to county clerks’ offices throughout Wisconsin seeking marriage licenses since a federal judge declared the state’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional on Friday.

Brown County Clerk Sandy Juno says she hoped for advice from the Wisconsin Vital Records Office, which keeps marriage records. But she says after she couldn’t reach anyone at the office she decided to issue licenses to about 10 couples.

The Outagamie County clerk is accepting license applications after nearly 100 people refused to leave without them.