Herland Sister Resources

Openly lesbian U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) have introduced House Resolution 431 on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Loving v. Virginia decision legalizing interracial marriages.   HR 431, passed in the House by a voice vote,  commemorates the legacy of Loving v. Virginia in ending the ban on interracial marriage in the United States and in recognizing that marriage is one of the `basic civil rights of man’ at the heart of the 14th Amendment protections. 
“The Loving decision marked an historic turning point in our nation’s history,” said Congresswoman Baldwin.  “In affirming that marriage is a basic civil right, it brought an end to the statutes that criminalized interracial marriage.  Today, once again, we are debating the marriage laws in this nation as same-sex couples seek the right to marry.  I believe the Loving case informs this debate,” Baldwin said.  The Freedom to Marry coalition of activist organizations is running full-color ads in magazines and newspapers to compare the legalization of interracial marriage to the effort by gays to have same-sex marriages legalized.  And, in California, the legislature is again pushing for gay marriage after the people of California passed Proposition 22 in 2000 that bans such marriages.  The California State Assembly voted to pass Assembly Bill 43, sponsored by gay legislator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). AB 43 will strike references to male and female in the marriage code and substitute the words “two persons.”