Multnomah County will begin granting marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples today, making it the first jurisdiction in Oregon to officially recognize that same-sex couples can marry.

With a supportive legal opinion from the county attorney, Multnomah County Board Chairwoman Diane Linn will order employees in the licensing office to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples this morning.

The move comes after County Commissioners Lisa Naito and Serena Cruz requested a legal opinion from County Attorney Agnes Sowle, who said that not granting licenses is a violation of the Oregon Constitution.

"It's a matter of civil rights," Naito said. "As soon as we got a strong written opinion, we felt then that we couldn't deny people their basic civil rights. I do think we'll receive criticism, but from how I see it, it doesn't matter. We're really required to do this under the constitution."