Montgomery-- Today, HRC Alabama commends the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) for making critical revisions to the state’s certificate of marriage, which allows loving, committed LGBT couples to marry in the state they love. According to published news reports, the forms will also enable the state to track and record how many LGBT couples marry. Despite statements and arguments by the Attorney General’s office that the state would “be thrown into confusion and conflict” if same-sex marriages are permitted, actions of the ADPH prove turmoil over the issue simply doesn’t exist. The proactive efforts of ADPH also eliminate concerns over the state needing “time to implement changes to its forms.”

“It only took one email to update the state’s system and now LGBT couples are ready to marry the person they love. To advance marriage equality in Alabama is taking little effort and no hassle,” said HRC Alabama Director R. Ashley Jackson. “Despite arguments from anti-LGBT activists, marriage equality is simply the right thing to do.”

Earlier this month, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit denied the Alabama Attorney General’s motion for a stay in Searcy v. Strange and Strawser v. Strange. Last month, U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Granade struck down Alabama’s discriminatory constitutional amendment banning same-sex couples from marrying. With the ruling, same-sex couples can begin to marry beginning Monday, February, 9, unless the Supreme Court of the United States issues a stay.

HRC congratulates the plaintiffs, Cari Searcy and Kimberly McKeand, and their attorneys, Christine Hernandez and David Kennedy; as well as James Strawser and John Humphrey, recently joined in court by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, for all their work to achieve this historic victory.

HRC Alabama is working to advance equality for LGBT Alabamians who have no state or municipal level protections in housing, workplace, or public accommodations; legal state recognition for their relationships and families; state rights to jointly adopt children; and state protections from hate crimes. Through HRC Alabama, we are working toward a future of fairness every day—changing hearts, minds and laws toward achieving full equality.