Gay rights groups on Friday cheered a
federal judge's pending order forcing Ohio to recognize the
out-of-state marriages of gay and lesbian couples.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Black said
he would rule in favor of four plaintiff couples on or before Monday,
April 14.
(Related: Federal
judge says he'll order Ohio to recognize gay marriages.)
“Today's decision will make a real
difference to legally married gay Ohio couples, affirming that their
home state may not deny them and their families legal protections and
the basic dignity of treating them as what they are: married,” Evan
Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, said in an emailed statement.
“Couples should not have to wonder whether they are still married
or not depending on what state line they've crossed. This
common-sense and constitutional ruling adds to the momentum across
the country in favor of the freedom to marry.”
Chad Griffin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate,
said the ruling was another step toward nationwide marriage equality.
“Since the Supreme Court's landmark
marriage equality ruling last June, not a single state marriage ban
has survived a federal court challenge,” Griffin said. “It's
only a matter of time before marriage equality is the law of the land
in not just Ohio, but every corner of America.”