FEDERAL SSM BAN CHALLENGED IN MIAMI: From the Associated Press

Two sign-language interpreters, the entertainer "Fluffy," two women with medical backgrounds and a gay couple together for 12 years gathered on the courthouse steps Wednesday to be the first to challenge an 8-year-old federal law banning gay marriage.

Tired of waiting for approval from the government or gay rights groups, the four gay and lesbian couples filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, which became model legislation for 38 states.

The law defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman and allows states to refuse to recognize gay marriages from other states. ...

The lawsuit adds a new strategy to the legal campaign against bans on same-sex marriage. For the last decade, gay advocacy groups have been pursuing a state-by-state strategy to win marriage for same-sex couples in state courts only, intentionally avoiding a direct challenge to the federal law.

When the planned lawsuit was announced Monday, the gay rights group Lambda Legal expressed misgivings about both its timing and location.

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posted by Eve at 2:19 PM VOTE

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