Supporters of gay marriage in Oklahoma are praising a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a provision of a federal law denying federal benefits to married gay couples.
But opponents of same-sex marriages also found a silver lining in Wednesday's ruling, saying Oklahoma's constitutional ban on gay marriage remains intact.
Governor Mary Fallin issued a statement Wednesday saying that like "the vast majority of Oklahomans," she supports traditional marriage.
“When given the opportunity to vote on the issue, seventy-five percent of Oklahoma voters supported a constitutional amendment declaring that ‘marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.’," Fallin says. "I do not and will not support expanding the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.”
Attorney General Scott Pruitt says the court's decision confirmed individual states still get to decide how to define marriage, not the federal government.
But legal experts say the law allows same-sex couples in Oklahoma who were legally married in other states to now be entitled to federal benefits.
