A lesbian couple in Pennsylvania filed a suit on Tuesday to overturn the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
The case is being brought on their behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union, and includes nearly two dozen other plaintiffs.
Leading the charge are Deb and Susan Whitewood, who say they’ve been partners with 22 years and have two teenage daughters, the New York Times reported.
The suit is one of the first filed after the Supreme Court’s decision on the federal Defense of Marriage Act, when it wrote in its majority opinion that the children of gay couples are denied “the integrity and closeness of their own family.”
The ACLU is hoping to use this case as a jumping point for Pennsylvania to join the District of Columbia and the other 13 states that have same-sex marriage laws.
“What we’re looking for is the validation from the legal system that we are equal in our marriage as anyone else,” Susan Whitewood told the New York Times.
The Whitewoods held a union ceremony in 1993, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The case in Pennsylvania was filed in federal District Court in Harrisburg. The ACLU also plans to file similar suits in Virginia and North Carolina in coming weeks.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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