LITTLE ROCK, Ark., May 10 (UPI) -- An Arkansas judge tossed out the state's 2004 ban on same-sex marriage yesterday, ruling it as "an unconstitutional attempt" to persecute homosexuals for "no rational reason." Arkansas Amendment 83 defined marriage as between one man and one woman, a qualifier the court ruled "singled out same-sex couples for the purpose of disparate treatment" and did not serve "any conceivable legitimate state interest." "Same-sex couples are a morally disliked minority and the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages is driven by animus rather than a rational basis," Pulaski County Circuit Judge Christopher Piazza said. "This violates the United States Constitution."
The issue of amendment 83 was brought before a judge when 21 same-sex couples in Arkansas sued the state, saying the ban violated their federal and state rights of equal protection and privacy.Our freedoms are often acquired slowly, but our country has evolved as a beacon of liberty in what is sometimes a dark world. It is time to let that beacon of freedom shine brighter on all our brothers and sisters. We will be stronger for it.