Transgender widow denied Harris County marriage licenseKevin Reece, September 13, 2013 10:51 PM
The transgender widow of a Wharton County firefighter, whom a judge ruled was not entitled to her late husband's death benefits because she was born a man, is challenging Texas law once more by attempting to get married again.
Nikki Araguz, 38, was the transgender wife of Wharton firefighter Thomas Araguz. He died fighting a blaze at a Wharton County farm in 2010. His family, when they found out Nikki Araguz was born a male named Justin Purdue, challenged her rights to the benefits. They argued that the marriage should be declared null and void because the Texas Constitution effectively bans same sex marriages. A judge agreed that although Araguz had her original California birth certificate amended to show that she is now female, that Texas law goes by the original birth certificate that shows Araguz/Purdue was born male...
"I'm the transgender widow of the firefighter," she announced to the clerk and presented as her form of identification a proof of sex change document. Under the state family code it is listed as an acceptable form of identification along with a driver's license or a passport...
Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart, after conferring with the Harris County Attorney, denied her marriage license application.
