Matthew Schreck and Jose Fernando Gutierrez say they were the first of dozens of same-sex couples who rushed to marry in Wisconsin after a federal judge ruled the state's ban on such marriages is unconstitutional. Matthew Schreck and Jose Fernando Gutierrez had long been prepared to get married at a moment's notice should Wisconsin's ban on same-sex marriage be struck down in court β that's why they kept all the required documents in a folder in their car.
Schreck, the manager a Goodwill store, and Gutierrez, a special education teacher at a Milwaukee public school, said they were the first of dozens of same-sex couples who married in Milwaukee and Madison in the hours after U. And with similar bans on marriage for same-sex couples being struck down in several states across the country β only to be put on hold pending an appeal β the couple wanted to make sure that if the same happened in Wisconsin, they'd be married before it was too late.
Schreck, shortly after hearing the news that the ban was struck down, rushed to pick up Gutierrez from a meeting at work. By the time they got to the Milwaukee County Courthouse, they were shaking. It was an incredible experience. It was surreal. With press and onlookers standing by, they were married in the courthouse by a friend, Rev. Erik Koepnick β the very first marriage he officiated as a newly ordianed minister in the United Church of Christ.
We pay taxes, have dog, own a house. We just want to be like everyone else and now we can do that. But questions remain as to whether their marriage will be considered valid, as the court β while striking the ban down as unconstitutional β has not yet issued a final judgment in the case. Wisconsin Attorney General J. Van Hollen said in a statement Friday that the ban was still in effect even after Friday's ruling. In addition, state officials defending the ban in court have requested an emergency stay on the ruling in light of the marriages taking place.
Nonetheless, more than same-sex couples have already obtained marriage licenses in Milwaukee and Madison, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Schreck and Gutierrez took the confusion in stride, telling BuzzFeed they expect the legal situation to be messy but also that ultimately their marriage will stand.
