Equality South Dakota
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 15, 2008
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Mudd, 605.214.1299 or Todd Epp, 605.351.5021

CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS RIGHTS OF ITS GLBT CITIZENS

EqSD Applauds Decision Which Gives Hope to GLBT South Dakotans And Their Friends and Families

SIOUX FALLS, SD--Today, the California Supreme Court (click link for decision) made a historic decision to guarantee marriage equality for all of its citizens.

"This is a victory for fairness and opportunity." says Karen Mudd, chair of Equality South Dakota (EqSD), a statewide advocacy organization with a mission to help secure and protect the rights and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) South Dakotans and their families.

"While South Dakotans are unaffected legally by this ruling, we are hopeful that we here in South Dakota will someday have the same opportunity to solidify our families." according to Mudd. This victory energizes our own efforts to continue working for fairness and equality for families in our state."

Same sex couples live in every county of South Dakota, many with children. EqSD is based on the premise that that they deserve the same opportunity to have the same rights and responsibilities as all other couples.

Seeing couples get married in CA will give people here in South Dakota the opportunity to see how giving two people in a committed, trusting and loving relationship strengthens our neighborhoods, towns and cities.

While this is historic, we already know from several years of marriage for same-sex couples in MA that it is not the terrible thing that opponents of marriage say it is. In fact, it's just the opposite. We look forward to the day when committed couples in here in South Dakota have the same chance to legalize their relationships. Equality South Dakota will continue to work for fairness for all families.

Across the country, state equality groups are working to ensure that families of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have the same rights and responsibilities as all other families. Currently, marriage litigation is pending in Iowa and Connecticut , where Federation member groups One Iowa and Love Makes a Family, respectively, are leading efforts to educate the public about the need for basic fairness for all families. In New Jersey, Garden State Equality is aggressively pursuing marriage equality through the legislature, as is New York 's Empire State Pride Agenda in theirs. In states like SD with marriage bans, state equality groups continue to explore other options for providing basic protections for LGBT families.

"Most Americans believe that marriage equality will be a reality in their lifetimes," noted Mudd. "Equality organizations like ours throughout the nation are working hard to achieve the American dream of equality and justice for all. We are all inspired by the CA marriage decision and look forward to the day when every American in every state and territory will have the opportunity to realize their hopes and dreams by marrying the person they love."

Paid for by Equality South Dakota, 610 S. Grand Ave., Harrisburg, SD 57032, Lawrence Novotny, treasurer. Contributions are not tax deductible.

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