WASHINGTON — Six same-sex couples in Florida and a statewide LGBT advocacy group there are suing in state court for marriage rights for same-sex couples, the National Center for Lesbian Rights announced.
Led by Catherina Pareto and Karla Arguello, NCLR is filing the lawsuit in state court on behalf of them and five other same-sex couples, as well as the Equality Florida Institute, in Miami on Tuesday.
"Florida is our home, it is where we are raising our child, and where we want to get married," Pareto said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed. "Karla and I wish for our family the same things that other families want. We want to build our lives together, provide a safe and caring home for our child, and share in the responsibilities and protections of marriage."
Joining NCLR as co-counsel in the case are the law firm of Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, attorney Elizabeth F. Schwartz and attorney Mary B. Meeks.
Although a copy of the complaint in the case was not made available, NCLR stated that the lawsuit will argue that Florida's ban on same-sex couples marrying violates the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit follows federal trial court decisions in the past two months in cases in Utah and Oklahoma in which judges held that similar marriage bans violate the U.S. Constitution.