Скачать или смотреть Gay couples have started marrying in Virginia, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the w

(6 Oct 2014) The White House says a growing majority of Americans recognize that same-sex couples in loving relationships deserve fair treatment under the law.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest is avoiding weighing in specifically on the Supreme Court's decision to deny appeals from five states seeking to prohibit same-sex marriages.
That move means an immediate expansion of gay and lesbian unions. Earnest says there's no specific reaction from the White House to the court's move.
But he also says that ultimately there may be a role for the court to play in determining whether gay marriages should be extended to all states.
He says President Barack Obama believes gay marriage should be the law of the land.
The court's order ends marriage delays in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Brian Silva, Executive Director Marriage Equality, USA says the Supreme court decision is "a huge win for" those five states, and will help six others states soon.
"But we also know that there are still millions of Americans that are not affected by this decision that still are vulnerable because they lack access to civil marriage equality."
The Family Research Council believes the ruling has bad and good news for the fight to keep marriage between a man and a woman.
"The bad news from our perspective is that these states have been denied the opportunity to defend their marriage laws in the highest court in the land," said Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research council.
"The good news is that the Supreme Court does not seem to be as eager to issue a sweeping ruling redefining marriage as many observers seem to think they were."
In Virginia, couples took advantage of the Supreme Court decision by going to get marriage licenses.
Erika Turner and Jennifer Melsop decided they had waited long enough.
When the Centreville couple heard Monday that same-sex marriages could go forward in Virginia following a Supreme Court decision, they drove to Arlington to get their license.
They said they expected a long line.
Instead, they found waiting television cameras, a Unitarian minister waiting to perform a ceremony for any willing couple, and a same-sex marriage advocates offering to pay their $30 license fee.
They married on the courthouse steps, less than two hours after the courts officially began issuing licenses.
The couple, both 26, had planned to get married next year but said they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity immediately once it presented itself.

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