Gay Marriage In Alaska

On Columbus Day 2014 the state of Alaska is scheduled to begin accepting marriage applications from gay & lesbian couples after a federal judge struck down the state’s ban on gay marriage which was the nation’s first such ban approved by voters. The decision came late Sunday afternoon when U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess ruled in favor of marriage equality. Susan Tow with her wife, Chris Laborde stated, “This is just an amazing day for Alaska. We’re just so fortunate that so many have fought for equality for so long — I mean, decades”. Sunday’s ruling in Alaska came in a lawsuit brought by 5 gay & lesbian couples who had asked the state in May to overturn a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1998. Judge Burgess heard arguments Friday afternoon & promised a quick decision. He released his 25-page decision Sunday afternoon stating, “Refusing the rights & responsibilities afforded by legal marriage sends the public a government-sponsored message that same-sex couples & their familial relationships do not warrant the status, benefits & dignity given to couples of the opposite sex. This Court finds that Alaska’s same-sex marriage laws violate the Due Process & Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment because no state interest provides ‘excessively persuasive justification’ for the significant infringement of rights that they inflicted upon homosexual individuals.” Alaska’s anti gay Governor Sean Parnell is threatening to appeal the decision stating, “Although the district court today may have been bound by the recent 9th Circuit panel opinion, the status of that opinion & the law in general in this area is in flux.” Updates to Come…:)
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