October 1, 2013
Group Challenges W.Va.'s Same-Sex Marriage Ban
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A national gay-rights organization is challenging West Virginia's ban on same-sex marriages.
Lambda Legal says it filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Huntington on behalf of three same-sex couples and one couple's child.
The group filed a similar lawsuit last month challenging Virginia's ban on gay and lesbian marriages.
In the West Virginia case, Lamba Legal argues that the state's ban unfairly discriminates against same-sex couples and their children. The organization says they are denied the legal sanction, respect, protections and support that marriage gives to different-sex couples.
The group also contends that the ban sends a message that gay men, lesbians and their children are second-class citizens
West Virginia doesn't allow same-sex marriage or recognize those that occurred in other states.
