U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman upheld both Louisiana’s ban on same-sex marriage and the state’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states in a Wednesday ruling.
Julianne Martin, president of University LGBT organization Spectrum, said the ruling is harmful for Louisiana.
“It’s just really disappointing that, in this day and age, human rights are still being doubted in court,” Martin said.
In his ruling, Feldman wrote expanding marriage to same-sex couples could set an incestuous precedent.
“Must the states permit or recognize a marriage between an aunt and niece? Aunt and nephew? Brother/brother? Father and child? May minors marry? Must marriage be limited to only two people? What about a transgender spouse? Is such a union same-gender or male-female? All such unions would undeniably be equally committed to love and caring for one another, just like the plaintiffs,” wrote Feldman.
Louisiana Family Forum president Gene Mills spoke in favor of the ruling in a press release titled “Marriage Wins in Louisiana!”
“This ruling confirms that the people of Louisiana, not the federal courts, have the constitutional right to decide how marriage is defined in this state,” Mills said in the release.