A federal judge in Alabama has ruled the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional! The decision by U.S. District Court Judge Callie Granade was NOT accompanied by a stay, Which means that gay couples could begin to apply for marriage licenses when the county clerks’ offices open on Monday! That would make Alabama the 37th state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Cari Searcy and Kimberly McKeand, have been together 14+ years and were married in California in 2008 but because Alabama doesn’t recognize legal same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, Searcy has not been able to adopt McKeand’s 8-year-old son. Voters in Alabama passed the Sanctity of Marriage Amendment in 2006, defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman. Judge Granade dismissed Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange’s (Strange?) argument that the ban encouraged “responsible procreation.”
“If anything, Alabama’s prohibition of same-sex marriage detracts from its goal of promoting optimal environments for children. Those children currently being raised by same-sex parents in Alabama are just as worthy of protection and recognition by the State as are the children being raised by opposite-sex parents.”
This bodes well for the upcoming US Supreme Court ruling in April which could legalize same sex marriage on a Federal level. Another brick out of the wall… (via NewNowNext)
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