CHIPLEY, Fla. — Steve Schlariet and Ozzie Russ say they never sought the spotlight of social activism, the spotlight found them. The rural Florida Panhandle couple could become one of the first gay men granted a license to marry in the state when a judge’s order takes effect Tuesday.
Together nearly 20 years and united during a commitment ceremony in Fort Lauderdale in 2001, the men live a quiet life raising horses and dogs on their central Panhandle ranch. When friends approached them about joining a lawsuit challenging the state’s gay marriage ban, Schlariet, 66, and Russ, 48, were a bit reluctant.
The suit, Brenner v. Scott, had already been filed just weeks earlier by Tallahassee couple Jim Brenner and Chuck Jones. Brenner and Jones were married in Canada in 2009, and the suit originally sought to have out-of-state same-sex marriages recognized by the state.
[ A profile of Jim Brenner and Chuck Jones is here. ]
Russ jokes about how Schlariet briefly balked at walking into the county clerk’s office and requesting a marriage license back in March.
The duo gathered their courage, entered the small office and asked to be married. They were told Washington County could not issue them a marriage license because Florida does not allow same-sex marriages. That rejection became the basis for joining the lawsuit on March 18, 2014, expanding the challenge to include the right to marry for unmarried, same-sex couples.
“We don’t think of ourselves as activists, but we didn’t want to look back and feel that we could have a made a difference and instead copped out,” Schlariet said. “Back when we filed this lawsuit, we didn’t think it would affect millions of people, but it feels good to know that that is what has happened.”
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Hinkle stayed his ruling until Tuesday.
County clerks throughout the state are expected to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses when the stay expires after Hinkle clarified his ruling on New Year’s Day. Attorneys representing an association of county clerks had claimed the ruling only applies to the specific couples mentioned in the lawsuit, but Hinkle said the ruling applies to all 67 Florida counties.
Reaction to Schlariet and Russ’ legal quest in this rural, Panhandle enclave has been mixed. When the couple moved to Washington County for Schlariet’s job in 2004, they mostly kept their relationship to themselves and only told people that they were a couple when it was necessary. Schlariet is a retired hospital executive and Russ works in fast-food management.
“We were a little concerned about dealing with the situation and we wanted people to get to know us before we came out,” Russ said.
A decade later, the couple says they are happy in the town, have made many friends and have not experienced any overt acts of hostility because of their sexual orientations. Each year they host a Christmas party for about 150 friends from the area and only one other couple attending is gay.
Filing the lawsuit opened the couple to a different level of scrutiny from both inside and outside their rural community. With about 25,000 residents, Washington is one of Florida’s least-populated counties.
Outside the Chipley Wal-Mart on a busy afternoon, most shoppers knew about the couple. Many had strong opinions about the lawsuit.
“It just isn’t Biblical. It would suit me if this wasn’t happening in Washington County,” said Randy Whittaker, a lifelong resident of the area.
“The Bible says Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” he added.
But fellow shopper Steve Keator, also a longtime resident, said the lawsuit made him proud of his community.
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Jacksonville-based civil rights attorney Betsy White, who represents both couples in the lawsuit, said the men can be proud of the path they have cleared for others to follow.
“Cases such as these generate a lot of emotion and a lot of hostilities. If you are a plaintiff, you can become a magnate for that,” she said.
“These guys are pioneers. They stood up and said ‘we are not going to take this anymore’. You have to be strong and your relationship has to be strong to do that.”
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