The Gay Thing: 4th Circuit Court Rules Virginia Marriage Ban Unconstitutional

Like dominos, these hateful same-sex marriage bans keep falling. And this one was a big domino, affecting Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Maryland, of course, is in the same Circuit, but already has marriage equality.

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Image from source, Slate

Fourth Circuit Calls Virginia’s Gay Marriage Ban “Segregation,” Strikes It Down

On Monday, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Virginia’s gay marriage ban is unconstitutional, the latest victory for marriage equality in a unbroken string of triumphs since the Supreme Court overturned DOMA in 2013. The opinion included no stay; until the Supreme Court steps in, then, gay couples in Virginia may get married starting now. The judges of the 2–1 majority labeled the state’s ban “segregation” and held that, because it targeted a disfavored minority and implicated a fundamental right, it should be subject to strict scrutiny. It’s clear that, to the majority, laws like Virginia’s represent little more than bald bigotry. . .

Read more at: Slate