JACKSON, Miss.–Mississippi’s gay marriage ban has been challenged by two couples who want to get married. The ban is an amendment to Mississippi’s constitution, passed in 2004, but the U.S. Supreme Court has apparently opened the way for similar bans to be struck down by not addressing the issue.
One of the lesbian couples who have filed suit is Joce and Carla Pritchett. They were married in Maine in 2013 and want Mississippi to legally recognize their marriage.
Both of the women spoke at a press conference at the state capitol earlier this year as part of the Human Rights Campaign’s push for gay equality in the state.
“We are Mississippians and we’re gay,” said Joce. “We have two precious little babies, one five and one two. We’re raising our kids here. We’ve lived here all our lives.”
Here is their portion of the press conference:
