MISSOURI: ACLU To Sue For Marriage

The ACLU announced today that they will file a marriage equality lawsuit against the state of Missouri.

Stephanie Perkins, deputy director for PROMO, a Missouri gay and lesbian advocacy group, said the litigation seeks to overturn Missouri’s ban on same-sex marriage. Couples from Kansas City, St. Louis, mid-Missouri and Springfield are included in the suit, which will be filed in state court in Kansas City. Charles Abernathy, spokesman for the GLO Center in Springfield, said a news conference involving the ACLU litigation has been scheduled at the GLO Center for Wednesday. Abernathy said that while GLO will be the venue, PROMO is taking the lead on the event. The litigation comes less than a month after a federal judge struck down Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage. The ban is similar to Missouri’s prohibition on same-sex marriage.

This is Missouri's first marriage lawsuit.

RELATED: In November 2013, Democratic Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon endorsed gay marriage and ordered state agencies to recognize marriages from other states. He also declared that gay couples legally married elsewhere may filed joint state income tax returns. Local GOP leaders immediately launched an impeachment campaign.