Freedom to Marry, the nation's largest
equal marriage advocate, on Tuesday applauded Kentucky Attorney
General Jack Conway's decision not to appeal a gay marriage ruling.
Conway's announcement makes him the 7th
Democratic attorney general to refuse to defend laws which prohibit
gay and lesbian couples from marrying.
“Today's decision by Kentucky
attorney general Jack Conway echoes that of state attorneys general
across America who refuse to defend discrimination,” Marc Solomon,
national campaign director of Freedom to Marry, said in an emailed
statement.
“Conway stands on the right side of
history along with the Republican-appointed Kentucky federal judge
who held that there is no legitimate justification for denying equal
protection to same-sex couples. A growing bipartisan majority of
Americans know it is wrong to deny anyone the freedom to marry the
person they love. With a marriage case potentially making it to the
Supreme Court as soon as 2015, we must continue to make the case
across the country that all of America is ready for the freedom to
marry,” he added.
Moments after Conway said that the
judge in the case “got it right,” Governor Steve Beshear, also a
Democrat, announced that the state would hire outside counsel to
appeal the ruling.
(Related: Kentucky
AG refuses to defend gay marriage ban; Gov. to hire outside counsel.)