Alabama State Rep. Patricia Todd has
said that she is planning a legal challenge to the state's ban on gay
marriage.
Todd, who in 2006 became the state's
first openly gay elected official, announced her plans while speaking
at the Madison County Democratic Party Headquarters in Huntsville.
She said that the recent Supreme Court
ruling that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) opens the
door for gay couples to challenge laws limiting marriage to
heterosexual unions.
“There's so many ways we could
challenge this,” Todd said. “Health insurance benefits. We
could go try to get a marriage license and be denied, and challenge
it.”
Todd and her partner previously
announced plans to marry in September in Massachusetts, the first
state to legalize gay nuptials.
“Alabama has an opportunity to step
forward instead of stepping backwards and I hope we take that
opportunity,” she added. “It's not gonna be easy. We're making
progress in the polls with the amount of people who are comfortable
with this. We still have a way to go. We still have to have
discussions with people to open up their hearts and minds about this.
For us, it's about love and commitment. It's about love and
commitment. All we want to do is go to the courthouse and get a
marriage license.”
Eighty-one percent of Alabama voters in
2006 approved Amendment 774, which prohibits the state from
recognizing the unions of gay and lesbian couples.