Supporters of same sex marriage in Georgia are working hard to overturn the current laws that stand in the way of marriage equality. One of the most aggressive of these laws has been on the books since 2004 when a constitutional amendment prohibiting Georgia gay marriage from taking place was voted in. This ruling was upheld in 2006 in spite of significant community support for a change. The current law denies same sex couples from enjoying the beautiful symbolism of a wedding day recognized by law and further denies them any form of family status and the various protections that go with this. An example of this is the case for Jennifer Sisson who was not allowed to list her name on the death certificate when her wife died in 2013.
Today there are at least three same sex couples who are hoping that the laws governing homosexual marriage will be changed. A law suit filed in 2014 by Lambda Legal seeks to make marriage possible for couples who have been together for many years. This struggle for marriage equality is supported by many in the state. According to a public poll, more than half of the state’s residents support either Georgia gay marriage or civil unions. It is hoped that the state politicians will honor the feelings of their constituents.
Today there are 21,318 homosexual couples residing in Georgia. The fate of these families may depend upon the work of groups such as Georgia Equality, the MEGA Family Project, Lambda Legal, and the Freedom to Marry campaign. In July, Georgia Equality took petitions signed by more than 3,000 state residents to the state attorney general. The petitions called on the Attorney General to stop defending legalized discrimination.
The fate of Georgia Gay Marriage may depend on the on-going effort of grassroots organizations and national groups because the members of the state’s Supreme Court aren’t currently giving any ground.
