Three married lesbian couples on
Wednesday filed a legal challenge to North Carolina's ban on gay
marriage.
The plaintiff couples, who are
represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), are asking
a federal judge to force North Carolina to recognize their
out-of-state marriages.
One partner in each marriage is
suffering from an urgent medical condition.
“Having lived in a loving and
committed relationship for decades, our clients should not have to
face the end of life (and, for the surviving spouse, the thought of
losing their life partner) with the knowledge that their community
refuses to recognize the worth and solemnity of their relationship in
ways it does for others,” the ACLU said in a statement. “They
deserve all the support they can get, not the indignity and grief of
knowing their home state treats them as legal strangers.”
A similar case last year led to a
federal judge ordering Ohio officials to recognize the out-of-state
marriages of gay and lesbian couples on death certificates. Last
week, the judge said he is prepared to force Ohio to recognize such
unions for all purposes.
(Related: Federal
judge says he'll order Ohio to recognize gay marriages.)