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Marriage Equality

Oklahoma: Plaintiffs Wed, But Doesn't Look Like Happy Ending to Governor

Oklahoma: Plaintiffs Wed, But Doesn't Look Like Happy Ending to Governor

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The couple at the center of the Oklahoma marriage case expressed joy over the Supreme Court's decision but also were "a little bit annoyed" that the court didn't get directly involved.

lucasgrindley

What looks like a happy ending for Oklahoma couples seems like a disaster to Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin.

The couple whose successful legal challenge now means every same-sex couples can wed in Oklahama is now formally married themselves. Just as they said they hoped for, Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin had a public ceremony on Monday outside the Tulsa County Courthouse.

Afterward Baldwin said, according to the Associated Press, that "It is a great day to be gay in Oklahoma. It's an even better day to be married."

But that's now how it looks to Governor Fallin, who issued a statement calling the Supreme Court's decision to keep in tact a lower court ruling an example of "an arrogant, out-of-control federal government that wants to substitute Oklahoma values with Washington, D.C. values."

Fallin has been mocked by the likes of Stephen Colbert for her staunchly antigay positions, specifically calling her out last year for keeping the National Guard from processing spousal benefits for any couple -- straight or gay -- in the hopes of preventing same-sex couples from ever benefitting.

While Fallin can't fight the Supreme Court's ruling, she isn't taking a conciliatory tone, as some other conservative governors have tried when faced with pro-marriage rulings in their states.

"The people of Oklahoma have the right to determine how marriage is defined," she said in the statement. "In 2004, Oklahomans exercised that right, voting by a margin of 3-1 to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The will of the people has now been overridden by unelected federal justices, accountable to no one. That is both undemocratic and a violation of states' rights. Rather than allowing states to make their own policies that reflect the values and views of their residents, federal judges have inserted themselves into a state issue to pursue their own agendas."

Fallin isn't pleased with everyone calling this a victory. "Today's decision has been cast by the media as a victory for gay rights," she said. "What has been ignored, however, is the right of Oklahomans and Americans in every state, to write their own laws and govern themselves as they see fit. Those rights have once again been trampled by an arrogant, out-of-control federal government that wants to substitute Oklahoma values with Washington, D.C. values."

For the couples part, they didn't see the decision from the Supreme Court as all positive. In a news conference, they admitted being "a little bit annoyed" that the justices decided not to get directly involved by hearing their case, or another one, and issuing a ruling that would apply nationwide.

Watch the Oklahoma couple at the center of the case react to the news in the video below from KTUL:

KTUL.com - Tulsa, Oklahoma - News, Weather

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Lucas Grindley

Lucas Grindley is VP and Editorial Director for Here Media, which is parent company to The Advocate. His Twitter account is filled with politics, Philip Glass appreciation, and adorable photos of his twin toddler daughters.
Lucas Grindley is VP and Editorial Director for Here Media, which is parent company to The Advocate. His Twitter account is filled with politics, Philip Glass appreciation, and adorable photos of his twin toddler daughters.