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State Senator Becomes First Gay Couple Married In Las Vegas

A Nevada state senator has married his partner to become the first gay couple married in Las Vegas. State Sen. Kelvin Atkinson wed Sherwood Howard shortly after gay couples began receiving marriage licenses in the wedding capital of the world Thursday. 

County Clerk Diana Alba says a U.S. District Court judge in Las Vegas issued an order striking down a 2002 state constitutional amendment that banned gay marriage. Same-sex couples’ hopes of getting married had been in limbo since the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday gay couples' rights were violated by same-sex wedding bans in Nevada and Idaho.  

The Coalition for the Protection of Marriage fought to keep Nevada's ban, but withdrew appeals yesterday to the U.S. Supreme Court and the 9th Circuit.
Copyright 2015 KNPR-FM. To see more, visit http://www.knpr.org/.

Nikole Robinson Carroll was a Morning Edition host at KNPR. She also produced segments for KNPR's State of Nevada.
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