The first gay couple to legally marry
in Indiana after a federal judge struck down the state's ban on gay
marriage said “it just felt right.”
Craig Bowen and Jake Miller were
married by Marion County Clerk Beth White in Indianapolis soon after
U.S. District Judge Richard Young ordered the state to begin issuing
marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
(Relate: Federal
judge strikes down Indiana's gay marriage ban; Weddings begin.)
The couple, together 8 years, said
getting married was the next step in their relationship.
Marrying “just felt right,” Bowen
told The
Indianapolis Star. “We had been talking about it for
months or years and now that we can actually do it in our home state,
we wanted [to] not waste any time.”
Miller said with a chuckle that their
parents might be angry with their spur-of-the-moment decision to
marry.
“Our parents don't know yet, so they
might be a little mad at us,” he said. “I sent Craig a text and
said, 'Hey, do you want to get married today?'”
“I love you,” Miller told Bowen
after the men exchanged vows.
Some county clerks said they were
waiting for direction from state officials before issuing licenses to
gay couples.