(Portland) Basic Rights Oregon, the state's largest and most influential gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization, denounced a New York Supreme Court decision today on same-sex marriage that failed to end discrimination against same-sex couples in the state of New York. In a 4-2 decision, New York's highest court held that the state constitution does not require extending the freedom to marry to gay and lesbian couples.

Statement from Frank Dixon, Interim Executive Director:

"Today's decision from the New York Supreme Court is disappointing, not just for New Yorkers, but for all Americans who care about fundamental fairness and equality under the law.

Instead of recognizing as it has so many times in the past that the constitution is a guarantee of equality for all -- even when it is unpopular -- the Court turned its back on this promise. The majority opinion in this case did not rely on the law, but on tired myths about GLBT people and our families that have been shown time and again by medical and social science to be untrue. If the result of this decision were not so damaging to same-sex couples and their families, the absurd logic of this opinion would be a joke.

Same-sex couples and their families in Oregon and across the country continue to experience discrimination that affects medical decision-making, end-of-life issues, parenting and more. Here in Oregon we continue to call on Oregon Courts and the Oregon Legislature to consider this issue carefully and stand on the side of justice and fairness under the law for all of our citizens.

While we are saddened today by the New York decision, we also know that this set-back is but one marker in a long struggle for equality. Just as in New York and across the country, Basic Rights Oregon will continue to fight on every front until the full equality we seek is achieved."

Background: The Hernandez decision is the final disposition of four separate lawsuits filed in several counties throughout the state by Lambda Legal, the ACLU and cooperating attorneys on behalf of more than 40 gay and lesbian couples seeking the right to marry in New York. In the Hernandez case itself, the trial court had ruled for the gay and lesbian couples, holding that the state domestic relations laws limiting marriage to a man and a woman violated the equal protection and due process guarantees of the New York constitution, but the intermediate appellate court reversed, finding no constitutional violation and suggesting that the question of marriage equality was one for the state legislature. In the other three cases, the trial courts had all ruled that the state marriage laws did not violate the constitution and the intermediate appellate courts had affirmed those rulings.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 06, 2006 at 12:06 PM. Want to discuss? Leave a comment below.