Ahead of the day the law legalizing same-sex marriage went into effect in New York State, two town clerks decided to resign rather than sign marriage licenses for same-sex couples.

It began a few weeks ago with the resignation of Barker Town Clerk Laura Fotusky. She gave up her $25,000-a-year job, saying she would be compromising moral conscience by participating in giving marriage licenses to same-sex couples. She was soon followed by Ruth Sheldon, the town clerk of Granby, New York. Sheldon said she could not “violate my conscience and my faith” by signing marriage licenses for same-sex couples.

Meanwhile, Rosemary Centi, the town clerk of Guilderland, New York, cited her Catholic faith in announcing she was stepping down from her position as the town’s marriage officer, meaning she would no longer officiate at weddings. Centi will remain on as town clerk and says she’ll sign marriage licenses for any eligible couple.

With same-sex marriage now the law of the land in New York, many more clerks may find themselves having to decide between their faith or feeding their families. That’s a decision Rev. Jason McGuire, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, says they should not be forced to make. Last week, his group launched the “Courage Fund” to support municipal officials who refuse to comply with the same-sex marriage law. Jason talked more about this by phone with our Matt McClure.