- April 22, 2024
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First comes gay marriage, then comes divorce.
On the same day that gay marriage applications were being accepted in Flagler County, Jan. 6, the clerk of courts also accepted the first petition for a gay divorce, from a couple that was married in New York.
“It’s been an interesting day,” Clerk of Courts Gail Wadsworth said.
Leticia Garner is identified as the husband in the petition, and Jennifer L. Garner is the wife. They were married Sept. 20, 2011, and according to the court document, Jennifer L. Garner will now be known by her former name, Jennifer Lynn Wharton.
No gay marriages have taken place yet in Flagler County — only applications for marriages, Wadsworth said. Applications come with a three-day waiting period, so the first marriages can’t happen until Friday.
In all, five same-sex couples applied today to be married, plus three different-gender couples, for a total of eight.
Wadsworth said the new law gives freedom to same-sex couples that they didn’t enjoy previously.
“They’re free to buy property together, simply, without a need for a power of attorney,” she said. “They’re free to be at bedside at birth and death. … It has given these couples the freedom to be just like everyone else in the state.”
