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Gay Marriage Spreads To West Virginia by 365Gay.com from the Web, March 6, 2004 Charleston, W.V. -- A lesbian couple filed suit Friday to force the Kanawha County Clerk's Office to start issuing same-sex marriage licenses. Charleston, the state capital, is the largest city in the county. Pat Link and Sheila Chambers went to court after Clerk Alma King said she would not issue a license to them because state law describes marriage as a union between a woman and a man. "We will do whatever the courts direct," said David Dodd, a spokesperson for King. "But we will not issue a marriage license without the court telling us to." Link and Chambers have been together for 23 years. The couple was married in Canada last year and celebrated a civil union in Vermont in 2001 but neither is recognized in West Virginia. Chambers' recent retirement and the realization that her married co-workers could leave survivor benefits to their spouses was the catalyst for the lawsuit, Link said. "Legislative discrimination is what we're experiencing and we have to do something about this now," Link said.. " We will continue to fight this fight forever and a day." The women's petition asked the court for immediate relief but the justices refused saying through a spokesperson that the case will be heard "in due course". The couple's lawyer, Roger Forman, said that the petition will probably be amended to "add anyone who wants to be added as plaintiffs."
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