Virginia repeals same-sex marriage ban from state constitution
The measure replaces Virginia’s 2006 ban and adds state constitutional protections for lawful marriages between two adults, with 84% of votes counted.
- On Tuesday, Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment to codify marriage rights for same-sex couples, removing the state's unenforceable 2006 Marshall-Newman Amendment ban from the commonwealth's founding document.
- Although the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court "Obergefell v. Hodges" decision rendered the ban inactive, Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman said proponents sought to "wrap our rights in steel" against future reversals.
- The Associated Press projected the measure's passage with 56.2 percent in favor and 43.8 percent opposed, according to Decision Desk HQ data with 84 percent of votes counted.
- Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson celebrated the result, stating that "one more relic of past discrimination is being wiped from the lawbooks" and cementing marriage equality as foundational.
- The amendment secures protections for same-sex couples if federal courts overturn "Obergefell", with proponents aiming to shield these rights against potential future reversals through the new constitutional language.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Virginia repeals long-standing ban on same-sex marriage
In Virginia, proposed amendments to the constitution must be approved by the state House and Senate twice before they can go before voters. Just eight Republicans in the 140-seat legislature voted for the amendment when it came up for final passage in January. Virginia’s ban on gay marriage, like those in 24 other states, has […]
VA Voters Enshrine Same-Sex Marriage In Constitution
The Associated Press reports: The Constitutional Amendment to remove a ban on same-sex marriage in Virginia has passed, according to the Associated Press. In 2006, a majority of Virginia voters banned same-sex marriage and now voters have enshrined protections for same-sex marriage in the state’s constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Obergefell v. Hodges ruling … The post VA Voters Enshrine Same-Sex Marriage In Constitution appeared fi…
The ban, introduced in 2006, had formally remained in the Virginia Constitution despite becoming unenforceable in 2015, when the United States Supreme Court, with the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, recognized same-sex marriage as a constitutional right nationwide. But now Virginia voters have […] The article "Virginia Referendum: Gay Marriage Ban Repealed from the Constitution" comes from Il Fatto Quotidiano.
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