“…It feels like the absolute right thing to do, and I stand in complete conviction of that.”
Celeste Carlson-Allebach is among seven couples that have been named plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging North Dakota’s ban on same-sex marriage. Celeste and Amber Carlson-Allebach are legally married in Minnesota, but that union is not recognized in North Dakota and several other states. She says there are many rights that different-sex couples are granted that are not granted to same-sex couples and for her and her family it’s something worth standing up for. Carlson-Allebach says North Dakota’s ban has been in place for 10-years, and was voted-in by a significant margin at the polls. But she says there’s a new understanding and awareness in the state today…
"That was something that just kind-of quietly crept up, and I don’t think a lot of people were even aware of what it was and what it meant at that time. But I think the climate has certainly changed since then.”
Carlson Allebach says while they are hoping for a quick resolution to the lawsuit, lawyers have said there are a number of scenarios that could occur. She says it’s a big step to take… and hopefully a positive step…
“It is! But there’s some vulnerability there… I think that hopefully in 20-years, when things are – hopefully a lot sooner than that – but hopefully when people look back in 20-years and things are different, we have helped make a positive step in society.”
With North Dakota seeing a lawsuit filed, each state with a same-sex marriage ban is now seeing those laws challenged.