In this article, a federal appeals court struck down Virginias ban on same sex marriage.

This is the first decision in a southern state and another victory for gay and lesbian
couples trying to marry their lovers. Still, people were upset about this decision, but U.S.
Circuit in Richmond said that inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for
denying same-sex couples due to process and equal protection of the laws. Decisions
like these were also m ad in Utah and Oklahoma. The ban of same-sex marriage to some
is looked at to be unconstitutional. The 4
th
Circuit opinion will affect marriage laws in
other states within jurisdiction, including West Virginia, North Carolina, and South
Carolina. Gay and Lesbian couples in Virginia cannot marry in the state for at least
another 3 weeks. "The choice of whether and whom to marry is an intensely personal
decision that alters the course of an individual's life," wrote Judge Henry Floyd in an
opinion supported by Judge Roger Gregory. "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." Following this
breakthrough, the following states will be trying to challenge the same sex marriage bans;
Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.