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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Utah’s Republican Governor Says State WILL NOT Recognize Over 1,300 Same-Sex Marriages [regardless of Constitutional equality]

Utah’s Republican Governor Says State WILL NOT Recognize Over 1,300 Same-Sex Marriages

by Liam O'Connor
Utah Republican governor has announced that following a recent Supreme Court ruling, the state will refuse to recognize over 1,300 same-sex marriages.
Gary Herbert announced that all unions performed in the time between when a federal court ruled that Utah's definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman was unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court's decision to overturn that, would be nullified. This will remain the case unless the Supreme Court's decision is successfully challenged.
The decision is depressing but in no way surprising. As mentioned above, the state constitution of Utah defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. As long as the Supreme Court's stay is in effect, this discriminatory and openly homophobic definition will be the law of the land.
The US Constitution clearly provides for the protection of homosexuals and other sexual minorities via Section 1 of the 14th Amendment:
[box type="shadow"]"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."[/box]
Despite this, Utah and other conservative-dominated states have flagrantly challenged the 14th Amendment by passing discriminatory measures purely designed to prevent loving couples from getting married.

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