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Christian minister helps two lesbian couples sue Mississipi over same-sex marriage ban

"It is now time to take the next big step by making sure that gay families in Mississippi are accorded these same protections," commands the lawsuit.

By Matt Bradwell
Same-sex couples in Mississippi are suing the state in federal court, claiming its ban on same-sex marriage violates their constitutional rights. UPI/Kevin Dietsch
Same-sex couples in Mississippi are suing the state in federal court, claiming its ban on same-sex marriage violates their constitutional rights. UPI/Kevin Dietsch | License Photo

JACKSON, Miss., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- A pair of same-sex couples in Mississippi are suing the conservative state in federal court, claiming Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage violates their constitutional rights.

"Gay people in thirty-two states have the right to marry," points out the lawsuit.

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"It is now time to take the next big step by making sure that gay families in Mississippi are accorded these same protections."

Filed by the Campaign for Southern Equality, the suit alleges Rebecca Bickett and long-term partner Andrea Sanders, as well as Jocelyn Pritchett and her partner Carla Webb, had their constitutional rights violated by being denied the right to marry.

"It's time we are able to live with legal protections in our home state," Pritchett said in a statement.

"We love Mississippi. It is home for us and we have many beautiful friends and family members here."

"All across Mississippi, we work with loving, committed LGBT families who are proud to call the state home," Reverend Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, United Church of Christ minister and executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, told the Clarion Leger.

"But they also suffer the harms of discrimination daily. Equality cannot come quickly enough to Mississippi for these families."

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The suit names as defendants Republican Governor Phil Bryant, Democratic state Attorney General Jim Hood, and Hinds County Circuit Clerk Barbara Dunn, who has repeatedly denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Mississippi.

"I took an oath to uphold the law and the constitution, and that's what I have to do," Dunn said in regard to her inclusion as a specifically named defendant.

"The Supreme Court has made it clear that no matter where a gay person lives -- whether it is in Maine, Minnesota, or Mississippi -- our Constitution requires that they be treated with the same dignity and respect under the law as everyone else."

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