Montco official talks gay marriage on MSNBC
Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes tells MSNBC pundit Rachel Maddow about the legal reasons why decided to buck the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
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Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes, who yesterday handed out five marriage licenses to same-sex couples in spite of a state law defining marriage between a man and a woman, talked about his decision last night with MSNBC pundit Rachel Maddow.
It was part of a longer segment on same-sex marriage in which Maddow recapped recent developments in California, Mississippi, Arkansas and Ohio, capping it off with yesterday's historic actions in Montgomery County, Pa.
"I hope I made more than their day," Hanes said. "It's one thing to talk about this academically, or from a lawyer's standpoint. You have two folks come in and ask for this rec of their union. That puts it in an entirely different framework. It's not academic anymore, it's not ethereal."
More coverage and quotes from our colleagues at Philly.com. The full video can be viewed at MSNBC.com.