U.S. District Court Judge Callie Granade struck down Alabama's ban on gay marriage ruling it unconstitutional on Friday & clearing the way for the Southern state to become the 37th U.S. state where marriage equality is legal. The interesting part is that Judge Granade didn’t place a stay on her ruling so gay & lesbian couples could be eligible to apply for marriage licenses when clerk's offices open which could happen as soon as Saturday. Granade is an appointee of President George W. Bush & found that the ban does not further Alabama's goal of protecting the ties between children & their biological parents & that it is harmful to the children of gay & lesbian parents stating, "Those children currently being raised by same-sex parents in Alabama are just as worthy of protection & recognition by the state as are the children being raised by opposite-sex parents." The case was fought by a lesbian couple Cari Searcy & Kimberly McKeand who were legally married in California & sought for Searcy to be able to adopt McKeand's biological son under a provision of Alabama law allowing for the adoption of a "spouse's child." Sarah Warbelow HRC Legal Director added, "Judge Granade's ruling today affirms what we already know to be true – that all loving, committed Alabama couples should have the right to marry." Perhaps the movie Selma is making a civil rights difference in that state after all.
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