CHIPLEY — It is somewhat ironic Steve Schlairet and Ozzie Russ plan to wait at least a few months to get legally married, considering they fought the state in a lawsuit for the right to wed and now Washington County, their home county, could be the only county to offer marriage licenses on Jan. 6.
Now that same-sex marriage could be legal in Florida, at least in the small, rural sliver Schlairet and Russ inhabit, they need time to organize their families and friends from around the country.
They’ve waited 18 years now; it doesn’t make much difference whether they wait a few more months.
“There isn’t a big rush,” Schlairet said.
Lawyers for the Florida Association of Court Clerks and Comptrollers said Tuesday that Washington County is the only place named in the lawsuit. Thus, clerks in other counties are not bound by the August ruling of the U.S. District Court. Attorney General Pam Bondi declared that she will appeal the decision again, likely moving back the Jan. 6 date.
Despite this most recent case in Florida Schlairet believes, though, that the country is rushing to catch up. Schlairet is convinced the writing is on the wall for legal same-sex marriage in the U.S. It’s supported by a majority of the country in all the polls, 35 of 50 states have some sort of marriage equality provisions on the books and the court system is nearly universally ruling on the side of marriage equality.
Schlairet cited the recent ruling by the appellate court in Atlanta that upended Florida’s ban.
“We had heard already that the Atlanta court was sensitive to the fact that they’ve voted against civil rights issues,” Schlairet said. “They’re using the 14th Amendment to state that the ban is unconstitutional. It’s the same amendment they used to determine that a ban on interracial marriage is unconstitutional.”
Schlairet feels the subject has greatly differing opinions based on generational boundaries. He has nieces and nephews under the age of 25 who don’t understand why same-sex marriage is a big deal. Russ, who is 48, falls solidly in a middle generation that is quickly becoming more accepting of same-sex marriage. People over 65 seem to be the holdouts, possibly holding to the belief in the literal interpretation of the Bible that gay marriage is against God’s will.
“We know there are still these situations where people think it’s going against Christ,” Schlairet said. “But we know lots of people that believe it’s more important to live the teachings of the Bible. The Bible was used historically to justify slavery.”
Climate changes: It just so happens that Schlairet just falls within that last generation, at 65. He remembers growing up in Florida when segregation was active. Coming out to his family after college in his early 20s was a true trial.
“It was difficult, very uncomfortable,” Schlairet said. “My family said a lot of things that they now regret.”
However, the social climate was vastly improved by the time Schlairet met Russ in 1996, on opposing teams in an intramural football league. Schlairet said he knew almost instantly that he had found his soulmate, but it took Russ a little longer, taking quite a few dates over two years. They then lived together for a year before holding a commitment ceremony in Fort Lauderdale. Basically, Schlairet and Russ have been married for 15 years.
In 2004, Schlairet and Russ moved to Chipley, something they were hesitant to do at first. They worried the reactions of their new rural neighbors with strong religious beliefs might negatively affect the established couple.
“I know they’re very brave,” Parents, Families, Friends and Allies of the LGBTQ community Panama City president Sandra Ruffing said. “Especially being from the area they’re from.”
In reality, Schlairet and Russ said they have never had a problem in Chipley. Both worked at local companies, Schlairet as a hospital administrator, now retired, and Russ as a manager at a local McDonald’s.
“He’s hired and fired most of the youth in town,” Schlairet said.
To Schlairet, it’s just another example of how attitudes around the country are changing. He encountered serious discrimination when he was younger, including being fired for being gay and being denied housing.
“We didn’t expect we’d be legally allowed to marry this early,” Schlairet said. “We’re very surprised.”
However, Schlairet may not be ready to abandon his recent foray into activism. Next up on the agenda is to try to get more states to adopt anti-discrimination legislation and to get states to outlaw reparative therapy camps, where in some cases it’s acceptable to use shock therapy against gay clients.