Oregon becomes 18th US state to legalise gay marriage
By Sam Rigby
Oregon has become the 18th US state to legalise gay marriage.
District Judge Michael McShane made the historic decision to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage on Monday (May 19), The Oregonian reports.
McShane acknowledged fears that the legalisation of gay marriage could lead to a world with “no moral boundaries”.
However, he added: “To those who truly harbour such fears, I can only say this: Let us look less to the sky to see what might fall; rather, let us look to each other … and rise.”
Many gay and lesbian couples married within hours of the decision, with plaintiffs Deanna Geiger and Janine Nelson becoming the first couple to marry.
The passing of the equal marriage law in Oregon came ten years and one day after the first Massachusetts became the first state to do so in May 2004.
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