NEW YORK: Another Town Clerk Refuses To Sign Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

A town clerk in Ledyard, New York has informed her bosses that due to her personal religious bigotry, she is unwilling to sign the marriage licenses of same-sex couples. She is the third such town clerk in the state to come forward as a bigot.

Ledyard Town Clerk Rose Marie Belforti submitted a letter to the Ledyard Town Board saying that her religious beliefs prevented her from signing marriage licenses for same-sex couples and the board discussed Belforti’s letter at Monday’s meeting, according to John Binns, a member of the town board. When reached for comment Thursday, Belforti said “that’s not your business” before hanging up the phone. Binns confirmed that Belforti submitted the letter, which he said included a request to the board for Belforti to assign a deputy clerk so the deputy clerk could sign same-sex marriage licenses. Binns said Belforti cited a law which, according to Binns, she said allows her to request a deputy clerk to sign same-sex marriage licenses. Binns said he had mixed feelings on Belforti’s request. While he said he believes that it is the clerk’s job to sign marriage licenses, he added that if the law Belforti cited “is something that stands up,” he will “support whatever the laws are.”

Anti-gay hate groups have vowed to provide a free legal defense to any town clerk that wishes to sue the state over their "denied religious freedoms."