The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Micah McCoy, ACLU of New Mexico, 505-266-5915, ext. 1003, mmccoy@aclu-nm.org
Robyn Shepherd, ACLU national, 212-519-7829 or 549-2666, media@aclu.org
Erik Olvera, National Center for Lesbian Rights, 415-365-1324, eolvera@nclrights.org

Same-Sex Couples File Lawsuit Seeking the Freedom to Marry in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

Two same-sex couples seeking the freedom to marry filed a lawsuit today after they applied for and were denied marriage licenses by the Bernalillo County Clerk.

The couples are Miriam Rand, 63, and Ona Porter, 66; and Rose Griego, 47, and Kim Kiel, 44. Rand and Porter currently live in Albuquerque while Griego and Kiel reside in Santa Fe. They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of New Mexico, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Albuquerque law firm Sutin, Thayer & Browne, APC, and local cooperating attorneys Maureen Sanders, Lynn Perls, and Kate Girard.

"Ona and I have been together for over 25 years," said Rand. "Together, we raised children, we took care of our mothers when they were dying and are currently raising our granddaughter. We are family. We love and care for one another through good times and bad. We want our community to recognize our love and commitment for what it is - a marriage."

The lawsuit claims that the New Mexico marriage statutes and the New Mexico Constitution do not bar same-sex couples from marrying, and therefore the state should issue civil marriage licenses to any same-sex couple who applies for one.

"The time has come for New Mexico to treat same-sex couples with the same dignity and respect we afford opposite-sex couples," said Laura Schauer Ives, legal director of the ACLU of New Mexico. "This means allowing loving, committed same-sex couples the freedom to marry. We believe that the New Mexico Constitution guarantees same-sex couples this freedom. Today we ask the courts to clarify and confirm that same-sex couples may seek happiness and protect their families within the institution of civil marriage in New Mexico."

New Mexico is the only state in the country that does not either explicitly recognize same-sex relationships through marriage or civil unions or ban recognition of same-sex relationships by statute or constitutional amendment.

"New Mexico has a long history of respecting individual freedom and supporting families," said Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. "These couples want the same opportunity to marry and to take responsibility for one another as other couples."

The lawsuit was filed in Albuquerque's district court.

"There is growing support nationwide for the freedom of to marry, with over fifty percent of Americans now saying they support marriage for same-sex couples," said Elizabeth Gill, staff attorney with the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project. "It is time for this fundamental freedom to be a reality for same-sex couples in New Mexico."

More information on this case can be found at:www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/griego-v-oliver

The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

(212) 549-2666