Gay Marriage Laws in Ohio

Ohio gay couples will not be getting married anytime soon thanks to the current DOMA legislation banning gay marriage. The amendment was placed on the state ballot by a citizen initiative group and then approved by voters. The DOMA amendment stand for, defense of marriage act. The Ohio gay community may be fighting back against some of the Ohio marriage laws.

The law takes away previous benefits shared by domestic partners that they were receiving from the companies they work for. Some Ohio lawyers have been quoted as saying that the loss of benefits between Ohio gay couples could lead to a large number of lawsuits on the way.

There is a chance that the state also does not allow Ohio companies to do business with companies that do allow benefits between gay couples. This seems like a blatant attack on the Ohio gay community. George Dent, a law professor in Ohio does not believe anything can be done about the companies that choose not to keep giving same sex couples their benefits, he said, "If an employer wants to include same-sex benefits under its health plan, there's nothing here that stops it."

Ohio marriage law will remain under the DOMA protection for now and into the future. A majority that does not support gay marriage or even someone who lives their life as a gay person in private, will make it difficult for Ohio to ever break through and allow Ohio gay marriage.

The people against gays in Ohio believe that Ohio marriages are sacred. Ohio gays who marry elsewhere will not be legally recognized. No state benefits will be given and of course there are no federal benefits since they federal government does not support gay marriage yet.

Ohio gay couples will have to take after others by leaving for other states, possibly for good, in order to live the lives they want to live. It should not be necessary to search the country trying to find a state that will accept your life style, when you are not doing anything illegal. Ohio citizens could learn they have more in common with Ohio gays then they realize. Perhaps just as old discriminatory actions have slowly died in this country, those who discriminate against gay marriage will always eventually be weeded out.