The first gay couple to receive a
marriage license in Arizona met in 1957 but didn't come out to their
families until 2008.
According to the Arizona
chapter of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Karen Bailey and
Nelda Majors were the first couple to be issued a marriage license
after a federal judge on Friday struck down the state's ban on gay
marriage.
(Related: Federal
judge strikes down Arizona's gay marriage ban.)
The Scottsdale couple met in 1957 while
attending college at Sam Houston University in Huntsville, Texas.
In a
Why Marriage Matters Arizona video, the women said they never
discussed their relationship with their families.
“Our parents never knew that we were
gay,” Bailey said in the 14-minute profile.
The women explained that they were
outed by a friend during a Houston City Council meeting.
Sue “invited us to her induction
ceremony and wanted us to come to the City Council meeting
afterwards, which we did. Each member was introducing his family,
his children, how long they had been married. And when it got to
Sue, she introduced her children and her sister and then she said
that she wanted us to stand up and she proceeded to say what effect
we had had on her life. And we stood up and we're fixing to sit down
and then she just said, 'Oh by the way, they're celebrating their 50
years together,'” Bailey said.
“And that was our first outing with 3
television stations from Houston being there,” she added.
The women obtained custody of Bailey's
great, great niece Sharla at the age of 4 and her sister Marissa at
the age of 3. They plan to meet with a wedding planner on Monday.