Marriage equality has slowly but surely been spreading across the nation as state after state continues to legalize same-sex marriage. Recently, the fight for marriage equality took center stage in Oklahoma, where a law banning same-sex marriage had come into question in a lawsuit brought against the state. Now, it’s been revealed that Oklahoma has struck down the law and opened the door for marriage equality.
According to the Huffington Post, in 2004, gay couples Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin and Gay Phillips and Susan Barton filed a lawsuit against the state in response to a constitutional amendment approved by Oklahoma voters in 2004 that defined marriage in the state as being between one man and one woman.
Yesterday, after a decade-long legal battle, U.S. Judge Terence Kern of the Northern District of Oklahoma ruled that the gay marriage ban was unconstitutional.
Kern’s ruling is stayed pending appeal and same-sex marriages won’t happen immediately in Oklahoma, but gay rights activists are counting the ruling as a major win for marriage equality.
“Judge Kern has come to the conclusion so many have before him – that the fundamental equality of lesbian and gay couples is guaranteed by the United States Constitution. With last year’s historic victories at the Supreme Court guiding the way, it is clear that we are on a path to full and equal citizenship for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Equality is not just for the coasts anymore, and today’s news from Oklahoma shows that time has come for fairness and dignity to reach every American in all 50 states,” said Chad Griffin, president of Human Rights Campaign, in a statement about the ruling.
Well, gay marriage may not have started just yet in Oklahoma, but we applaud the state for taking the first steps in seeing marriage equality brought to its LGBT citizens. – nicholas robinson
