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John Daley ReportingCourts in Georgia and New York today upheld bans against gay marriage. John Daley joins us with what these rulings mean to Utah.
The New York Court of Appeals ruled this morning in favor of marriage as the union of man and a woman, not the union of two persons. And the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the validity of Georgia's Marriage Amendment, passed overwhelmingly by Georgia voters.
Now a Utah law firm is celebrating the rulings as victories.
Monte Stewart, Marriage Law Foundation: "No one is challenging Utah's law and I suspect that no one ever will."
At a news conference today held by the Marriage Law Foundation, President Monte Stewart reacted to the New York and Georgia rulings and said the Utah marriage law is justified by them.
He says redefining marriage laws would be a blow to societal values and that the rulings today are a step in the right direction.
Stewart views the New York and Georgia rulings as upholding core social roles and the law, but local members of the gay and lesbian community view the rulings as a denial of basic rights and another roadblock to an uphill battle.
Nathan Measom says gay and lesbian couples will continue fighting that battle until people recognize their rights.
Nathan Measom, Gay-Lesbian Community Center: "One day all of us will pass and we'll all have equal status in this country. And one day, people will look back at history and wonder what the government was thinking by denying such basic rights."
In the New York ruling this morning, Judge Robert Smith said the decision of legalizing same-sex marriage should come from lawmakers.
Right now twenty US states have constitutional amendments that ban gay marriage. Twenty-five states have enacted statutes, but not constitutional amendments. Massachusetts is the only state that allows gay marriage.
