New York — Today U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree ruled in favor of the freedom to marry in Kansas.
Marc Solomon, national campaign director of Freedom to Marry and author of Winning Marriage, released the following statement:
"Yet another judge — this time in Kansas — has found marriage discrimination to be unconstitutional, joining the nearly unanimous, bipartisan wave of pro-freedom to marry rulings in recent months. Attempts to delay the freedom to marry across the country are not only a waste of time and resources, but also prolong the harms and indignity that same-sex couples and their families continue to endure because of marriage discrimination. It is time for the remaining courts to finish the job and ensure the freedom to marry for all loving and committed couples in America."
As of last month, a majority of Americans now live in a freedom to marry state, with 32 states currently issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Today's win in Kansas is in line with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling in favor of the freedom to marry in Oklahoma and Utah, which took effect on October 6. Kansas is one of the six states in the 10th Circuit, and presently the only one not yet issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Ruling to affect more than 4,000 same-sex couples in Kansas
LOS ANGELES — Today, a federal district court in Kansas ruled that state's ban on same-sex marriage is likely unconstitutional and issued an injunction in favor of same-sex couples.
In Kansas, there are an estimated 4,009 cohabiting same-sex couples, of whom an estimated 22% are raising nearly 1,750 children in their homes.
Williams Institute research also suggests that 2,005 of these couples will marry in the first 3 years, generating $14.1 million in spending in Kansas and an additional $1.15 million sales tax revenue. Spending related to same-sex couples' wedding ceremonies and celebrations is expected to create 75 to 225 jobs in the tourism and recreation sector for the state. A full version of the state report is available here.
Key nationwide statistics include:
Nearly 7 in 10 ( 68% ) same-sex couples across the country will soon be living in states where they can marry and nearly two-thirds of Americans will soon be living in states that allow marriage for same-sex couples. These are the states and D.C. where same-sex marriage is presently legal, as well as the states where same-sex marriage is currently prohibited but where federal appellate courts have issued binding decisions against same-sex marriage bans.
Williams Institute research suggests that there were 690,000 same-sex couples in the US in 2013 raising an estimated 200,000 children. As many as 30,000 of those children are being raised by married parents.
Recent Williams Institute analyses suggest that the number of married same-sex couples, estimated to be as high as 130,000 in 2013, has increased by more than 50% over the last 3 years.
Williams Institute scholars have filed amicus briefs in, and severed as expert witnesses in, many cases concerning marriage rights for same-sex couples, and numerous courts have relied explicitly on Williams Institute research in striking down bans on marriage for same-sex couples.
The following Williams Institute Scholars are available for Comment:
Williams Institute Distinguished Scholar and Research Director, Gary Gates, PhD, provided "highly credible" testimony as an expert witness in the Michigan case, Deboer v. Snyder, in the 6th Circuit, and demographic analysis of Virginia from a friend-of-the-court brief he filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit was cited in the majority opinion. He is the co-author of "The Gay and Lesbian Atlas" and a recognized expert on the demographic, geographic, and economic characteristics of the LGBT population. His work on that subject has been featured in many national and international media outlets. He holds a PhD in Public Policy from the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University along with a Master of Divinity degree from St. Vincent College and a BS in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
M. V. Lee Badgett is a Williams Distinguished Scholar of the Williams Institute. She is an expert on the economic impact of same-sex marriage and has served as an expert witness in various cases concerning the marriage rights of same-sex couples. She is also the director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as well as a professor of economics. She studies family policy issues and labor market discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, and gender. Her latest book, When Gay People Get Married: What Happens When Societies Legalize Same-Sex Marriage ( NYU Press, 2009 ), focuses on the U.S. and European experiences with marriage equality for gay couples. She co-edited the recent book, Sexual Orientation Discrimination: An International Perspective ( Routledge, 2007 ). Her first book, Money, Myths, and Change: The Economic Lives of Lesbians and Gay Men ( University of Chicago Press, 2001 ), presented her groundbreaking work debunking the myth of gay affluence. She is also the author or co-author of numerous journal articles and policy reports.
Adam Romero is Senior Counsel and Arnold D. Kassoy Scholar of Law at the Williams Institute. He leads the federal legal work of the Williams Institute, including the filing of amicus briefs in court cases concerning LGBT rights. Previously, Romero was a senior associate at the law firm WilmerHale, where he was a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation and Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Groups. He successfully represented the plaintiffs in Cooper-Harris v. USA, the first case in the nation to declare unconstitutional laws barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages in the veterans-benefits context. Romero completed clerkships for the Honorable M. Margaret McKeown of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and for the Honorable Shira A. Scheindlin of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He received his law degree in 2007 from Yale Law School. Romero has published in numerous volumes and journals and is the co-editor ( with Martha Albertson Fineman and Jack E. Jackson ) of Feminist and Queer Legal Theory: Intimate Encounters, Uncomfortable Conversations ( 2009 ).
The Williams Institute is dedicated to conducting rigorous, independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. A national think tank at UCLA Law, the Williams Institute produces high-quality research with real-world relevance and disseminates its work through a variety of education programs and media to judges, legislators, lawyers, other policy makers, and the public. For more information go to: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/
