Hot on the heels of marriage equality in New Mexico, the Beehive State just threw everyone a wonderful curveball out of nowhere and legalized it too.
A federal judge RIGHT THERE, RIGHT THERE IN Utah has declared that the state ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional because it denies people in same-sex partnerships equal protection under the law. Looks like the whole “procreation and child-rearing” argument is not so much working anymore.
Utah’s state attorney generals are applying for a stay because sometimes people suck, but for now it’s legal and the good people of Utah are applying for marriage licenses.
U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby ruled that “…the State’s unsupported fears and speculations are insufficient to justify the State’s refusal to dignify the family relationships of its gay and lesbian citizens.”
Hell, yeah.
Obviously there will be a fight over this, but it feels like it opens up the possibility of marriage equality happening across the country much, much faster than anyone imagined.
Utah (and New Mexico) readers, congratulations. Let’s hear you shout in the comments.
