4 states' gay marriage bans under fire - OH, KY, MI, TN

[theHandpuppet]

The Cincinnati Enquirer
4 states' gay marriage bans under fire
Chrissie Thompson and Amber Hunt
August 3, 2014

The broadest attack yet on states' gay marriage bans will be Wednesday in a packed courtroom in downtown Cincinnati, where lawyers challenging four states' prohibitions will stand shoulder to shoulder in hopes of convincing a three-judge panel that the bans are unconstitutional.

The states – Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee – have so far waged their battles separately, fighting to uphold the bans that voters years ago embraced. Each state faces slightly different challenges filed by same-sex couples, including the right to adopt children as a couple, to have their names placed on a partner's death certificate and to have their marriages – performed legally elsewhere – recognized in the states they call home, where same-sex marriage is illegal.

Despite the variations in the attacks, make no mistake: The ultimate targets are the bans, and the real goal is the right to marry, adopt children and enjoy the same rights that opposite-sex couples have when they exchange vows...

...For gay rights advocates throughout the region, years of incremental challenges in federal court have led to Wednesday's big day in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Several rallies are planned Tuesday in Cincinnati, and gay rights organizations nationwide are alerting their memberships to keep watch on the arguments....

MORE at http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2014/08/02/states-gay-marriage-bans-fire/13534655/

[RKP5637]

1. K&R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t