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After Rorex inquired into the legality of issuing the license, District
Attorney Alex Hunter and first assistant DA Bill Wise wrote an opinion stating that Colorado law did not specify whether marriage must be between a man and a woman. Rorex was told it was within her legal right to decide if she
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stated that they "needed a man" to run against the female
Republican candidate. Rorex shared her frustrations over hearing this with women in a feminist group she was a member of, and decided that she would run for clerk. She was elected and took office in 1975 at age 31. Henry Putnam would not
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in part because of the marriage licenses Rorex issued. In June 2018, Boulder replaced an image of
Roswell "Ross" Howard and his horse, Dolly, with a photo of Rorex. After Rorex issued same-sex marriage licenses, Howard showed up at the courthouse with Dolly and asked for a license to
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Rorex had been clerk for three months when two men, Dave McCord and Dave Zamora, came to the clerk's office to apply for a marriage license. They had originally applied in
Colorado Springs, where they were told to go to Boulder; El Paso County did not do "that type of thing."
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Rorex was married and divorced three times, and had three children. She died on June 19, 2022, at the age of 78 at a hospice care facility in
Longmont, Colorado, from complications of an infection following surgery.
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in
Boulder for 18 years. After retiring around 2011, she spoke at public schools on panels composed of people of different gender identities. She considered herself an "ally for gay rights and marriage equality".
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Rorex resigned from office about two and a half years into her term. She married and moved to
California. Rorex never held elected office again.
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234:, when the incumbent, Henry Putnam, announced his retirement. She decided to run after attending a meeting in which members of the
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on a
Methodist scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree. She later earned a second degree in legal administration from the
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Clerk, Rorex issued a marriage license to a gay couple in 1975 after receiving approval from the
District Attorney.
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730:"Clela Rorex, former Boulder County Clerk who issued first same-sex marriage license in 1975 dies at 78"
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647:"Boulder courthouse up for historic designation for Clela Rorex's same-sex marriage licenses in 1975"
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Rorex returned to
Colorado after her marriage and obtained a degree in legal administration from the
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wanted to issue the license or not. Rorex issued the license on March 26, 1975. She issued five more
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219:. She then married a naval officer and spent three years with him while he was stationed at
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588:"Meet the Clerk Who Started the Same-Sex Marriage Revolution | The Takeaway | WNYC Studios"
560:"Boulder civil union event adds layer of living history, with former clerk Rorex to attend"
322:—21st century Boulder County clerk known for issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples
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Issuing the first same-sex marriage license to a gay couple in the United States
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444:"Clela Rorex Planted the Flag for Same-Sex Marriage in Boulder Forty Years Ago"
673:"Boulder County Courthouse gets federal nod for role in state's LGBTQ history"
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After working a few summers in her father's office, Rorex decided to run for
473:"40 years later, story of a same-sex marriage in Colo. remains remarkable"
704:"Man and horse ride into sunset as Boulder County updates photo collage"
195:. She was adopted at an early age by Ruby and Cecil Rorex who was the
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616:"Boulder's LGBT history: from 'the Hate State' to the Supreme Court"
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ordered her to stop. She received hate mail and angry phone calls.
346:"Colo. Clerk Recalls Issuing Same-Sex-Marriage Licenses — In 1975"
532:"San Francisco not the first to marry couples of the same gender"
385:"Clela Rorex, Clerk Who Broke a Gay-Marriage Barrier, Dies at 78"
757:"Clela Rorex, who issued 1st same-sex marriage licenses, dies"
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vacate the office and was removed by the sheriff's office.
498:"How One Woman Married Gay Couples Forty Years Ago"
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167:(July 23, 1943 – June 19, 2022) was an American
296:. She worked as a legal administrator for the
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829:People from Steamboat Springs, Colorado
804:20th-century American women politicians
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839:Same-sex marriage in the United States
819:Infectious disease deaths in Colorado
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254:same-sex marriage licenses in Boulder
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175:in the United States. Serving as the
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530:Herel, Suzanne (February 14, 2004).
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269:National Register of Historic Places
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622:. September 1, 2016. Archived from
558:Brennan, Charlie (April 19, 2013).
728:McDonald, Sydney (June 20, 2022).
702:Brennan, Charlie (June 19, 2018).
671:Brennan, Charlie (July 31, 2018).
383:Genzlinger, Neil (June 20, 2022).
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799:20th-century American politicians
471:Barnes, Robert (April 18, 2015).
16:American county clerk (1943–2022)
442:Harris, Kyle (August 13, 2014).
191:on July 23, 1943, and raised in
824:American LGBT rights activists
171:who issued the first same-sex
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844:University of Colorado alumni
849:University of Denver alumni
298:Native American Rights Fund
193:Steamboat Springs, Colorado
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854:Women in Colorado politics
243:Same-sex marriage licenses
207:Education and early career
814:County clerks in Colorado
265:Boulder County Courthouse
258:Colorado Attorney General
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564:The Boulder Daily Camera
232:Boulder County, Colorado
187:Clela Rorex was born in
834:Politicians from Denver
537:San Francisco Chronicle
305:Personal life and death
213:University of Colorado
201:Routt County, Colorado
141:University of Colorado
735:Boulder Daily Camera
294:University of Denver
217:University of Denver
145:University of Denver
477:The Washington Post
211:Rorex attended the
809:Colorado Democrats
389:The New York Times
112:Longmont, Colorado
267:was added to the
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765:. Retrieved
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320:Hillary Hall
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288:Later career
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228:county clerk
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197:county clerk
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169:county clerk
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107:(2022-06-19)
68:Henry Putnam
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794:2022 deaths
789:1943 births
592:wnycstudios
256:before the
64:Preceded by
25:Clela Rorex
783:Categories
682:August 17,
327:References
183:Early life
123:Democratic
88:1943-07-23
397:0362-4331
151:Known for
137:Education
58:1975–1977
54:In office
767:June 21,
741:June 21,
713:July 20,
656:July 20,
630:June 23,
597:July 20,
543:July 20,
508:July 20,
482:July 20,
453:June 23,
448:Westword
402:June 21,
314:See also
280:Backlash
129:Children
761:AP NEWS
569:July 1,
502:Esquire
355:May 14,
350:NPR.org
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189:Denver
114:, U.S.
97:, U.S.
47:Clerk
769:2022
743:2022
715:2018
684:2018
658:2018
632:2018
599:2018
571:2020
545:2018
510:2018
484:2018
455:2018
404:2022
393:ISSN
357:2018
263:The
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102:Died
82:Born
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