Hundreds of people have answered a New Mexico county clerk's plea
for donations to help defray the cost of defending his decision to
begin issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
Dona Ana county clerk Lynn Ellins sparked a small revolution when
he announced on August 21 that New Mexico's laws did not prohibit gay
couples from marrying. As of Monday, seven counties, representing
nearly 60 percent of the state's population, have joined Dona Ana in
issuing such licenses.
(Related: New
Mexico could legalize gay marriage as early as next month.)
A group of Republican lawmakers, led by state Senator William
Sharer, have sued to block Ellins from issuing additional licenses.
(Related: New
Mexico GOPer William Sharer: Gay men should stop “whoring,” marry
women.)
Ellins' office put out a request for donations to cover the cost
of legal representation.
Ellins said that he “felt it was inappropriate” to use county
resources to pay the legal fees and that taxpayers who do not agree
with his decision should not be burdened with the bill, estimated to
cost $40,000.
Less than a week after making the request, nearly 500 contributors
have pledged nearly $23,000 through a
website set up by ProgressNow New Mexico dedicated to raising the
funds. Contributions are also being accepted at Ellins' office.