Kentucky governor says will appeal gay marriage recognition

USPA News - Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear said Tuesday that the state will seek outside counsel to appeal a court order to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, minutes after the state`s attorney general announced he would not appeal the ruling. The opposing legal decisions from the two Democrats comes days after an order was released in favor of same-sex marriages.

Attorney General Jack Conway, who defended the order during a press conference on Tuesday, said he had to make a decision of which "he could be proud of" in regards to his choice not to appeal the case. "I came to the inescapable conclusion that if I did so (appeal the order), I would be defending discrimination. That, I will not do," Conway said. "As attorney general of Kentucky, I must draw the line when it comes to discrimination." In a written statement released minutes later, Beshear said the U.S. Supreme Court should be the deciding body regarding the issue, so as to avoid "legal chaos" similar to what has been seen in other states faced with same-sex marriage litigation. "Other Kentucky courts may reach different and conflicting decisions. Employers, health care providers, governmental agencies and others faced with changing rules need a clear and certain roadmap," the governor said. "Also, people may take action based on this decision only to be placed at a disadvantage should a higher court reverse the decision." The order, issued by U.S. District Judge John Heyburn on Thursday, would allow same-sex couples who were legally married in other states or countries to change their names on state documents and obtain benefits offered to married couples within the state. Heyburn`s decision did not grant the state legal authority to offer marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but Judge Heyburn is expected to rule on a separate lawsuit that calls for Kentucky to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples by this summer. Support for same-sex marriage has increased across the United States in recent years, with now 17 states and the District of Columbia performing them. Additionally, judges in Virginia and Oklahoma have struck down same-sex marriage bans but left them in place pending appeals. A Gallup poll in 1996 found that only 27 percent of Americans were in favor of same-sex marriage, but the latest survey conducted in July 2013 found that 54 percent of Americans are now in favor of allowing marriages between people of the same gender.