It's a city of contradictions: a home to roughly 52,000 people, many deeply conservative churches and three gay bars, one of them cowboy-themed. But Pensacola is also known as the 'Gay Riviera,' a nickname earned for its blowout Memorial Day weekend celebrations that draw thousands of gay Floridians and southerners to Pensacola Beach, a barrier island. Known for its sugary beaches, this Gulf Coast city, part of a stretch of North Florida sometimes dubbed the 'Redneck Riviera,' has long been a favorite vacation destination for rural southerners. 'We will move forward to provide the service equal to all.' In all, 48 same-sex couples received marriage licenses on Tuesday in Escambia County.
'This is the new normal,' she said, after officiating the wedding of one of her employees. Inside, Escambia County Clerk Pam Childers plugged in a boom box and, over the strains of Here Comes the Bride, began making history.
