Gay marriage was ruled unconstitutional by the St. Louis Circuit Court on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Rex Burlison was the judge in the St. Louis Circuit Court that made the ruling and stated that denying Missouri’s gay couples the opportunity to marry is unconstitutional.
The ruling was set into motion due to four same-sex couples getting married in June in a city courthouse, despite a 10-year-old state amendment identifying marriage as a union between a man and a woman. This “act of defiance” was to show that gay and lesbian couples should be able to marry based on a fundamental right.
This development means many things for Missouri. In short term, many same-sex couples can now get married in St. Louis, as the city immediately began giving out marriage licenses to same-sex couples on that Wednesday.
In long term, there are still some issues that need to be fixed. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said he had appealed the ruling to the Missouri Supreme Court. He did this because while Koster supports same-sex marriage, he has a legal responsibility to defend state law.
Koster appealed the ruling to the Missouri Supreme Court, saying that the case “must be presented to and resolved by the state’s highest court.”
Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, said “[The court ruling] is a positive move forward for loving same-sex couples in the city of St. Louis,” said Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, in an STLtoday.com article. “It is also a win for families throughout Missouri as another discriminatory obstacle is lowered.” The ruling specifically grants the St. Louis Recorder of Deeds the authority to issue marriage licenses.
This decision affects gay and lesbian couples all throughout Missouri. In my opinion, it is the beginning of a drastic change in the right direction for Missouri. I am finally able to say it is legal to perform same-sex marriage in St. Louis, and hopefully in all of Missouri in the near future.
With a whopping 33 states currently recognizing and performing same-sex marriages, Missouri is a little behind the times. However, this ruling still marks Missouri as an open-minded state. Usually being considered a closed-minded, “southern” state, Missouri has finally entered into the path to becoming a more progressive and accepting state.
In the end, there are still hiccups in the lift on gay marriage in Missouri. While it has been lifted in St. Louis, it is still being contested in the Missouri Supreme Court. Despite this, it seems that same-sex marriage is coming to Missouri.