San Miguel County Clerk Melanie Y. Rivera is joining the ranks of clerks in Doña Ana, Santa Fe and Bernalillo counties in issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.

She said she made the decision after consulting with county attorney Jesus Lopez and the county clerk’s affiliate in New Mexico.  Rivera, a Democrat, said she had wanted to issue the license for a long time but waited because of the murky legal issues involved.

“I just hadn’t because I did not have an official legal opinion on it,” Rivera said. “This morning Jesus (Lopez) told me that he looked, and there is nothing there that said that I shouldn’t.”

For more on this developing story, go to www.lasvegasoptic.com and pick up a copy of Wednesday’s Optic.