From Atlanta to Athens, same-sex couple wasted no time in celebrating the Supreme Court's ruling that legalized gay marriage across the country.
Multiple gay couples received marriage licenses Friday morning, Fulton County Probate Court Clerk James Brock said. One of those couples, Petrina Bloodworth and Emma Foulkes, was married in a ceremony Friday morning right after receiving their license. They were the first gay couple to be married in Fulton County.
Fourteen same-sex couples took advantage of Fulton County's plans for a mass wedding ceremony.
Within an hour of the Supreme Court's decision, Christian Marasco and Shawn Brown were at the Fulton County Courthouse getting a marriage license. They were among those who took part in the multi-couple ceremony.
The first same-sex marriage in Athens took place just after 2 p.m. Moriah Martin Jordyn Dolente wed at the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse.
In Decatur, several same sex couples who were not allowed to apply for a license before headed to the DeKalb County court house to get married.
Many people gathered at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in downtown Atlanta to celebrate the decision.
Georgia was one of 14 states that banned gay marriage. Friday's ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court means Georgia will have to stop enforcing its ban.
Earlier this week, Georgia's Council of Probate judges said they had prepared for the Supreme Court Decision and were ready for the large influx of couples applying for marriage licenses.
Here's a look at the history of Georgia's gay marriage ban, reactions to the high court ruling and what's next:
HISTORY OF GEORGIA'S GAY MARRIAGE BAN
Georgia voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage in 2004. Gay rights groups filed lawsuits in state court challenging the wording of the ballot question, but the state Supreme Court ultimately ruled the vote was valid in 2006. The state constitution prohibits same-sex marriage and says that Georgia will recognize only the union of a man and a woman as marriage and that same-sex marriages performed in others states are not legally recognized.
___
CHALLENGE TO GEORGIA'S GAY MARRIAGE BAN
Gay rights group Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit in April 2014 challenging Georgia's constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. The suit, filed on behalf of six couples and a widow, challenges the ban itself, rather than the ballot wording that was previously challenged. "The history of the United States has been defined by the ability of each succeeding generation to recognize that social, economic, political, religious, and historical norms do not define our unalienable rights," the lawsuit said.
___
REACTION FROM STATE
Attorney General Sam Olens, a Republican who defended Georgia's gay marriage ban, quickly instructed government agencies to comply with the Supreme Court's ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
"Once the Supreme Court has ruled, its order is the law of the land," Olens said in a statement. "As such, Georgia will follow the law and adhere to the ruling of the court."
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed: "The Supreme Court's ruling marks a momentous victory for freedom, equality, and love. It is clear that the arc of history continues to bend ever closer toward justice."
Rep. John Lewis: "Races don't fall in love, genders don't fall in love--people fall in love."
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal: "The state of Georgia is subject to the laws of the United States, and we will follow them."
Bernice King, King Center CEO, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. "It is my sincere prayer that this ruling helps to alleviate violence, in all forms, including physical force, toward our LGBT brothers and sisters; and that the Supreme Court ruling encourages the global community to respect and embrace all LGBT global citizens with dignity and love. In the words of our founder and my mother, Coretta Scott King, 'The Civil Rights Movement that I believe in thrives on unity and inclusion, not division and exclusion.'"
Bishop Rob Wright, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta: "In the days ahead, whatever your position, I ask you to keep close to your heart and lips the words of scripture, that "God is love." Christ's church is trans-political, above all earthly partisanship. Therefore, if love has won even a small victory today, then let us rejoice."
State Sen. Vincent Fort: "The Court's decision on gay marriage is a victory not just for the LGBT community but for all Americans who believe in justice. When some of us become more free, we all become more free."
Congressman Hank Johnson: "Today's historic Supreme Court ruling means all Americans – regardless of their gender or gender identity – have the right to marry the person they love. It also reaffirms equal protection under the law in accordance with the Fourteenth Amendment. We are all more free when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love."
