#alternate alternate [view-mobile-icon.png] View mobile site January 25, 2015 Huffpost Politics Edition: U.S. (BUTTON) Show/Hide + Brasil BR + Canada CA + Deutschland DE + España ES + France FR + Ελλάδα (Greece) GR + India IN + Italia IT + 日本 (Japan) JP + 한국 (Korea) KR + Maghreb MG + United Kingdom UK + United States US * * Follow * Newsletters Get PoliticsNewsletters Email address ____________________ Enter Email Address Go * Huffington Post Search Search The Huffington Post Enter Search Terms ____________________ Submit Search Go * * iOS app * Android app * More * Desktop Alerts * Log in * Create Account $USERNAME + Desktop Notifications + Profile + Settings + Logout * FRONT PAGE * Politics o Steve King: I Was Being 'Kind' By Referring To Obama's Guest As 'Deportable' 1K o Recovered Film Gives An Amazing First Look At Scenes From World War II 76 o Ben Carson Appeals To Republicans In Iowa 0 o Saudi Succession Raises Questions For ISIS Fight 75 o Bernie Sanders Got Republicans To Make His Argument For Universal Health Care 682 Go to Politics More in Politics o Pollster o Politics Blog o Off The Bus o Election Maps o Pollster You Might Also Like o WorldPost o Green o Black Voices o Latino Voices o Gay Voices * Business o States Where The Middle Class Is Dying 0 o This Is The Ultimate Routine For A Perfect Work Day 80 o This CEO Fought For Better Wages At His Company. 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(AP) — A judge struck down part of Missouri's gay marriage ban for the first time on Friday by ordering the state to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other states, saying state laws banning the unions single out gay couples "for no logical reason." The order means such couples will be eligible to sign up for a wide range of tax, health insurance, veterans and other benefits now afforded to opposite-sex married couples. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, who has defended the state's ban on gay marriage, said his office was reviewing the ruling. The decision comes in a lawsuit filed by 10 same-sex couples who legally married outside the state, including Arlene Zarembka and Zuleyma Tang-Martinez. The St. Louis couple, who married in Canada, said Friday's ruling could boost their household income, and they plan to apply Monday for Zarembka to receive Social Security benefits as Tang-Martinez's spouse. "To me, it's a real validation by the judge of our relationship and our commitment to each other," Tang-Martinez said. The American Civil Liberties Union, which is helping the couples, noted the ruling was a first in the state. "We're gratified that the court recognized that married same-sex couples and their families are no different than other couples, and that the Constitution requires them to be treated equally," ACLU attorney Tony Rothert said. "This is not the first court to reach this conclusion, but it is the first court to do so in Missouri, so it's a tremendous day for our state." Jackson County Circuit Judge J. Dale Youngs sided with the couples, who argue that their rights to equal protection and due process are being violated by Missouri's ban on gay marriage. Youngs said the couples deserve the same recognition as opposite-sex couples who married in other states. "The undisputed facts before the Court show that, to the extent these laws prohibit plaintiffs' legally contracted marriages from other states being recognized here, they are wholly irrational, do not rest upon any reasonable basis, and are purely arbitrary," Youngs wrote. "All they do is treat one segment of the population — gay men and lesbians — differently than their same-sex counterparts, for no logical reason." The lawsuit before Youngs only challenges Missouri's refusal to recognize marriages legally performed outside the state, not laws that bar same-sex couples from getting married in Missouri. Rothert said the ruling means that thousands of Missouri couples can now qualify for spousal government benefits and, on a smaller level, change their last names to match their spouse's on their Missouri driver's license. The case is among at least three challenging Missouri's ban: There is a federal challenge in Kansas City, and a St. Louis case focuses on city officials who issued marriage licenses to four same-sex couples to trigger a legal test of the ban. The lawsuits are based on the same arguments that led the U.S. Supreme Court last year to overturn part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that denied a tax, health and other benefits to legally married gay couples. In Missouri, Youngs said he expects the state Supreme Court to "provide the last word on all of the important legal issues presented by this case." Same-sex marriage is now legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia. The ACLU has cases pending against 13 other states with such bans, including five cases currently before federal appeals courts. ___ Associated Press writers Summer Ballentine and David A. Lieb contributed to this report from Jefferson City, Missouri. Also on HuffPost: Close  10 Incredible Improvements For LGBT People Since The First State Legalized Gay Marriage of   * * * Massachusetts Becomes The First Massachusetts became the first state to welcome gay marriages in 2004. Since then, 17 states and Washington, DC have followed their lead and now allow same-sex couples to tie the knot. * Increase In Support Of Marriage Equality Only 37 percent of Americans supported marriage equality for same-sex couples in in 2003. Now, in 2014, 59 percent of individuals support this right. * DOMA The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed in 1996, barring same-sex couples from marrying at the federal level. The Supreme Court struck down the core of this legislation in 2013, ensuring 1,100+ federal protections for gay couples. * Protections For Transgender Minors The American Psychiatric Association announced in December 2012 that identifying as transgender is no longer considered a disorder, 38 years after removing same-sex attraction from its list of disorders. * Obama Supports Marriage Equality President Barack Obama made history in 2012 when he came out in support of marriage equality for same-sex couples. The decision made him the first American sitting president in history to make such a move. * LGBT Allies In Hollywood Over the past ten years we've seen an explosion of support for the LGBT community in Hollywood, from LGBT celebrities themselves like Lady Gaga and Ellen DeGeneres, to non-queer allies like Brad Pitt and Anne Hathaway. * Serve Openly In The Military President Barack Obama signed the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in September 2011, reversing President Bill Clinton's 1993 legislation that barred lesbians and gays from serving openly in the military. Transgender individuals, however, are still not allowed to openly reveal their gender identity while serving. * Opposition: No Longer Relevant Anti-gay organizations such as the National Organization for Marriage and Family Research Council are becoming increasingly silent and slowly losing funding. The Catholic Church has also begun to show a shifting away from anti-gay attacks, particularly with Pope Francis' iconic "Who am I to judge?" proclamation. * Hospital Visitation Rights In 2010, President Obama ordered that hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid payments must grant patients the right to designate who can visit and consult with them, enabling hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples. * Marriage Equality Court Cases Couples fighting for the right to marry are continuing to legally challenge their right to marry at the state level. There are currently more than 70 active cases in approximately 30 states.  Share  Tweet  ✖ Advertisement Share this ✖ close ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ [ ] Current Slide More: Missouri Same Sex Marriage Missouri Gay Marriage Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster Gay Marriage Recognizing Gay Marriage Suggest a correction Suggested For You FOLLOW HUFFPOST * (BUTTON) Email Email Address Email Address_______ Sign me up! 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