Quote of the day: “These arguments are not those of serious people.”

Today’s quote of the day goes to US district judge John Heyburn, who offered a disdainful rebuke of marriage equality opponents’ “arguments” as he ruled that Kentucky’s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional:

“These arguments are not those of serious people. Though it seems almost unnecessary to explain, here are the reasons why.

Even assuming the state has a legitimate interest in promoting procreation, the Court fails to see, and Defendant never explains, how the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage has any effect whatsoever on procreation among heterosexual spouses. Excluding same-sex couples from marriage does not change the number of heterosexual couples who choose to get married, the number who choose to have children, or the number of children they have.

The state’s attempts to connect the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage to its interest in economic stability and in ‘ensuring humanity’s continued existence’ are at best illogical and even bewildering…The Court can think of no other conceivable legitimate reason for Kentucky’s laws excluding same-sex couples from marriage.”

I love how judges‘ rulings seem to be getting more and more irritated as same-sex marriage bans continue to get struck down in state after state recently. I’m looking forward to the day when we all simply declare, “These arguments are not those of serious people.” Full stop. End of story.

Maya
Dusenbery is an Executive Director of Feministing.