Arizona Equality Official Website tracking the progress of the complaint
filed against the State of Arizona on January 6, 2014,
for Marriage Equality.

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Destination Reached

Today the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States decided marriage equality cases before them from the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Today is a victory for same sex couples. Same sex couple relationships are equal to and deserve the same treatment as opposite-sex couples. The individuals in same sex marriages can now enjoy the same benefits of marriage nationwide that opposite-sex couples seldom even ponder.

In their ruling, the Supreme Court Justices indirectly reaffirmed the ruling from Judge John Sedwick from the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and all the other Circuit courts. The ruling again validates the claims of all plaintiffs in two Arizona same sex marriage lawsuits, Connolly v. Jeanes and Majors v. Jeanes, that any ban on same sex marriage is a violation our equal rights under the of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The ruling again validates ALL claims by all same sex marriage plaintiffs in every state. The ruling validates all single gay and lesbian people recognizing they have a right to enter into marriage when they are ready. The ruling validates the beliefs of ALL supporters of same sex marriage.

More importantly, this is justice served for pioneers in marriage equality like Harold Standhardt and Tod Keltner of Arizona who filed suit in 2003. Sadly, the judicial system ruled against them in 2003. Today is a victory for them too. In Arizona, The Standhardt case started the Arizona road to equality by filing the first lawsuit in the state of Arizona. The Connolly and Majors cases paved the road for marriage equality to our state borders. And now, the plaintiffs in the cases before the Supreme Court have connected all roads to equality in all fifty states and several U. S Territories. We have reached our destination: marriage equality. 

Yet the journey is not over. Yes, destination “marriage equality” was reached. But there is more equality work to be done, more roads to build. And we will continue to build them, individually, collectively and with one common goal, equality for all.
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Same-Sex Marriage and ChildrenSame-Sex Marriage and Children is the first book to bring together historical, social science, and legal considerations to comprehensively respond to the objections to same-sex marriage that are based on the need to promote so-called "responsible procreation" and child welfare. Carlos A. Ball places the current marriage debates within a broader historical context by exploring how the procreative and child welfare claims used to try to deny same-sex couples the opportunity to marry are similar to earlier arguments used to defend interracial marriage bans, laws prohibiting disabled individuals from marrying, and the differential treatment of children born out of wedlock. Ball also draws a link between welfare reform and same-sex marriage bans by explaining how conservative proponents have defended both based on the need for the government to promote responsible procreation among heterosexuals. 

In addition, Ball examines the social science studies relied on by opponents of same-sex marriage and explains in a highly engaging and accessible way why they do not support the contention that biological status and parental gender matter when it comes to parenting. He also explores the relevance of the social science studies on the children of lesbians and gay men to the question of whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. In doing so, the book looks closely at the gay marriage cases that recently reached the Supreme Court and explains why the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans cannot be defended on the basis that maintaining marriage as an exclusively heterosexual institution helps to promote the best interests of children. Same-Sex Marriage and Children will help lawyers, law professors, judges, legislators, social and political scientists, historians, and child welfare officials-as well as general readers interested in matters related to marriage and families-understand the empirical and legal issues behind the intersection of same-sex marriage and children's welfare.
© 2014 Arizona Equality