In one of the most conservative states in the union, the issue of marriage equality has recently been thrust into the forefront of Wyoming’s political scenery.
In February, a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage in Wyoming made it to debate in the Wyoming House of Representatives but was ultimately shot down. This is the furthest a bill of its kind has progressed in Wyoming.
Since the bill’s demise, there has been a surge of marriage equality action in Wyoming. In early March, former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson and a coalition of six Wyoming Republicans, plus a number of Republicans from other states, urged the 10th Court of Appeals in Denver to uphold a federal judge’s decision to rule anti-gay marriage laws in Utah unconstitutional.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals is one of the most conservative appeals courts in the country and covers six states, including Wyoming. Thus a pro-same-sex marriage ruling may initiate a national call of action by the Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage in the United States.
Also in March, four same-sex couples filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Wyoming’s marriage laws. Since the Supreme Court struck down key provisions in 1996’s Defense of Marriage Act, same-sex couples have been ruled eligible for federal benefits. Judges have therefore been given justification for their decisions to rule anti-gay marriage laws unconstitutional.
The discussion has not left the state legislature either. Sen. Floyd Esquibel, D-Cheyenne, has continued his strong support for the legalization of gay marriage in Wyoming.
“Discussions have been about the model of the whole state of Wyoming and it being the Equality State and overriding peoples’ rights to marry a person of their choosing,” said Equibel.
Esquibel also expressed his feelings that both traditional and gay marriage should be widely accepted.
“It’s a relationship that I don’t understand. Then again there are a lot of heterosexual relationships that I don’t understand,” he said. “I think it’s important to let people know that they don’t have to feel bad about their relationship. I don’t know why we should hate someone for whom they love.”
