澳彩开奖

The Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum and the state鈥檚 attorney general have recognized the right of same-sex couples to hold commitment ceremonies at the museum after the 澳彩开奖 demanded the facility end its unlawful policy of refusing to rent the facilities to same-sex couples for such an event.

The response comes after the 澳彩开奖 sent a letter on behalf of Ceara Sturgis and her same-sex partner, Emily Key, to the museum and the Mississippi attorney general last month. The couple wants to hold their commitment ceremony at the museum this fall but was aware the museum has previously refused to rent its facilities for commitment ceremonies.

The 澳彩开奖 letter demanded the museum rescind the unlawful policy or face a federal lawsuit. The museum in Jackson and the state attorney general both recognized today that there is no bar to gay couples who wish to rent the facilities for such an event.

Ceara Sturgis and her partner, Emily

鈥淥ur clients are happy that they will have the opportunity to express their love for one another in front of their family and friends,鈥� said Elissa Johnson, a staff attorney for the 澳彩开奖. 鈥淲e are pleased that the museum has reversed its unfair and illegal policy, and affirmed that gay couples will be treated the same as heterosexual couples.鈥�

Sturgis and her mother, Veronica Rodriguez, are both from Jackson and plan to hold the ceremony at the museum鈥檚 Masonic Hall in the fall so that family and friends in the area may attend.

鈥淓mily and I are happy that we will be able to have our commitment ceremony in our ideal place,鈥� said Sturgis. 鈥淭his victory for us will also pave the way for other same-sex couples who want to hold ceremonies at the museum.鈥�

The museum is owned and operated by the state. To support its exclusionary policy, the museum cited a 2009 letter from state Attorney General Jim Hood expressing his opinion that the museum could restrict use of its property to events that are 鈥渓egal鈥� under state law, and therefore could 鈥減rohibit same gender marriages on museum property.鈥�

The 澳彩开奖 demand letter warned that the museum had no legal basis for denying same-sex couples the use of its facilities for either commitment or wedding ceremonies. The museum routinely rents its facilities, including the Masonic Hall, to heterosexual couples for weddings, wedding rehearsal dinners and wedding receptions and thus must make the facilities available to same-sex couples. The letter stated that 鈥渢he Museum鈥檚 refusal to rent the same facilities to same-sex couples for the same purposes constitutes viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment.鈥�

The letter also noted that the policy violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution because, under the 14th Amendment, a state may not single out a class of citizens for different treatment without a valid state interest. A commitment ceremony or same-sex wedding ceremony does not require the state to recognize or endorse the committed same-sex couple as a married couple.

鈥淚 am thrilled that my daughter will have the ceremony she has dreamed of and that she and Emily will be able to share the day with our friends and family,鈥� said Rodriguez. 鈥淚 am glad the museum and the state understand that allowing same-sex couples the opportunity to hold a ceremony in a public place is only fair, and is the right thing to do.鈥�

Ceara and Emily would like to share this victory and their special day with the Jackson LGBT community and their allies. Those who would like to celebrate with them should send a request to Ashley Jackson at ashley.jackson@splcenter.org.

Other attorneys involved in securing the victory for Ceara and Emily include Jody E. Owens, II, and Christine P. Sun of the 澳彩开奖, and Alysson Mills of Fishman Haygood Phelps Walmsley Willis & Swanson, L.L.P. in New Orleans.