WASHINGTON – With lesbian and gay couples having married over the past several months in many New Mexico counties, today the state Supreme Court ruled to allow same-sex couples throughout the state to continue making lifelong commitments through marriage.  This makes New Mexico the first state in the Southwest with marriage equality and the 17^th state nationwide.

“The court is entirely correct that denying lesbian and gay couples the same rights as everyone else is fundamentally unjust,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Regardless of where you live, all people should have the ability to marry the person they love, and now the legislature must not do anything to turn back the clock in the Land of Enchantment.”

As the court wrote: “We hold that the State of New Mexico is constitutionally required to allow same-gender couples to marry and must extend to them the rights, protections, and responsibilities that derive from civil marriage under New Mexico law.”

The Human Rights Campaign has been involved in New Mexico as a founding member and partner of New Mexico Unites for Marriage providing the campaign with two field organizers building popular support for marriage equality.  We are proud to have been working alongside Equality New Mexico, the ACLU of New Mexico, Progress NOW New Mexico, Freedom to Marry, and the National Center For Lesbian Rights.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

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