[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/us-court-of-appeals-for-the-fourth-circuit-rules-virginia-gay-marriage-ban-unconstitutional\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/us-court-of-appeals-for-the-fourth-circuit-rules-virginia-gay-marriage-ban-unconstitutional\/","headline":"U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Rules Virginia\u2019s Marriage Ban is Unconstitutional","name":"U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Rules Virginia\u2019s Marriage Ban is Unconstitutional","description":"It seems Virginia really is for lovers, after all. Emily and Charlyn, a Virginia couple, will finally be able to legally marry in their state....","datePublished":"2014-07-28","dateModified":"2021-06-25","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/eweditors-2\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed Editors","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/eweditors-2\/","identifier":5,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9a187fc74a7530342dc5190e6ae4b88ae5bd4263f24b5aa8964c13b9d7e229bf?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9a187fc74a7530342dc5190e6ae4b88ae5bd4263f24b5aa8964c13b9d7e229bf?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/charly-emily-amanda-hedgepeth-photography-virginia-beach-engagement-session-beach-kiss.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/charly-emily-amanda-hedgepeth-photography-virginia-beach-engagement-session-beach-kiss.jpg","height":427,"width":640},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/us-court-of-appeals-for-the-fourth-circuit-rules-virginia-gay-marriage-ban-unconstitutional\/","about":["Marriage Equality News"],"wordCount":504,"keywords":[" marriage equality"," same-sex marriage","news","Virginia"],"articleBody":" It seems Virginia really is for lovers, after all.Emily and Charlyn, a Virginia couple, will finally be able to legally marry in their state. More on their engagement and love story here. Photo: Amanda Hedgpeth PhotographyVirginia is moving forward in marriage equality now that the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Va. has affirmed a District Court decision in Bostic v. Schaefer that held Virginia\u2019s ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples is unconstitutional.Hollingsworth v. Perry, the challenge to California\u2019s Proposition 8, was the first lawsuit in which a federal court of appeals ruled in favor of marriage equality.  The decision also paves the way for West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to strike down their marriage bans as those states are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Marriage equality has been legal in Maryland, the fifth state in the Fourth Circuit, since January 2013.  The decision reads: “We recognize that same-sex marriage makes some people deeply uncomfortable. However, inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process and equal protection of the laws. Civil marriage is one of the cornerstones of our way of life. It allows individuals to celebrate and publicly declare their intentions to form lifelong partnerships, which provide unparalleled intimacy, companionship, emotional support, and security. The choice of whether and whom to marry is an intensely personal decision that alters the course of an individual\u2019s life. Denying same-sex couples this choice prohibits them from participating fully in our society, which is precisely the type of segregation that the Fourteenth Amendment cannot countenance.”\u201cToday\u2019s decision stands as a testament that all Americans are created equal and denying loving gay and lesbian couples the opportunity to marry is indefensible,\u201d said Plaintiffs\u2019 lead co-counsel Theodore B. Olson of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. \u201cToday\u2019s decision recognizes that marriage is one of the most fundamental rights \u2013 if not the most fundamental right \u2013 of all Americans,\u201d said Plaintiffs\u2019 lead co-counsel David Boies of Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP. \u201cThis court has affirmed that our plaintiffs \u2013 and all gay and lesbian Virginians \u2013 no longer have to live as second class citizens who are harmed and demeaned everyday.\u201d  \u201cEach and every milestone in this fight for marriage equality brings Tony and me one step closer to making our dream of being married a reality,\u201d said Plaintiff Tim Bostic. \u201cOur victory today reminds us why we filed this lawsuit \u2013 to fight for respect and full equality not only for us, but for all Virginians.\u201d  \u201cThe Circuit Court\u2019s decision reminds me of how proud I am to be a Virginian,\u201d said Plaintiff Carol Schall. \u201cMary and I have lived here for over 40 years, have been in a wonderful relationship for nearly thirty, and have raised a beautiful daughter here in our home state. We could not be more thrilled with the judges\u2019 decision.\u201dAdditional reporting came from AFER: American Foundation for Equal Rights"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Rules Virginia\u2019s Marriage Ban is Unconstitutional","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/us-court-of-appeals-for-the-fourth-circuit-rules-virginia-gay-marriage-ban-unconstitutional\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]