A federal judge on Friday will hear
arguments in a challenge to Indiana's ban on gay marriage.
U.S. District Judge Richard Young will
consider arguments in his Evansville chambers.
Niki Quasney and Amy Sandler are one of
the five plaintiff couples in the case. Earlier this month, Young
ordered the state to recognize their Massachusetts marriage so that
Quasney, who has stage 4 ovarian cancer, can be listed as married on
her anticipated death certificate and Sandler listed as her surviving
spouse. Young issued a temporary restraining order which expires in
28 days. The women will ask Young to extend the ruling.
Sandler told the AP that she felt Young
would rule in their favor, adding that the next battle is cultural.
“Having legal backing is really
important, but then there's the cultural issues that will still
follow,” she said. “My hope is that the cultural shift will
follow. Unfortunately, it's going to take a lot of people who are
really passionate about being treated fairly to stand up.”
Plaintiffs are represented by Lambda
Legal, a legal group which promotes LGBT civil rights.