Guam Attorney General Elizabeth
Barrett-Anderson on Wednesday directed officials to begin issuing
marriage licenses to gay couples.
The move was a response to a lawsuit
challenging the territory's marriage laws.
According to the Pacific
Daily News, public officials are ignoring Barrett-Anderson's
order.
Leo Casil, the acting director of the
Department of Public Health and Social Services, told the outlet that
the attorney general's order was not a binding legal opinion and
applications won't be accepted “until further notice.”
Republican Governor Eddie Calvo, a
defendant in the case, said in a statement that lawmakers could
legalize such unions or the law could be changed by the people
through a public vote as the case proceeds.
Plaintiffs in the case, Kathleen Aguero
and Loretta Pangelinana, both 28, filed their lawsuit on Monday, five
days after they were denied a marriage license in the village of
Mangilao.
Guam falls under the jurisdiction of
the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The court has
struck down restrictive marriage bans in Nevada, Alaska, Arizona,
Idaho and Montana. Gay couples can marry in every state under the
court's control, including California, Hawaii and Washington.
Currently, no U.S. territory has
marriage equality.