Brief: Oklahoma Gay Marriage Ban Demeans Children

Opponents of Oklahoma's gay marriage ban say it demeans same-sex couples and their children by signaling that their relationships are secondary to traditional families.

The argument came in a 102-page document filed Monday on behalf of Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.

Bishop and Baldwin are suing to be allowed to marry in Oklahoma.

The filing comes in response to a brief filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom claiming that legalizing gay marriage would harm children, undermine society and make traditional marriages unstable.

U.S. District Judge Terence Kern ruled in January against Tulsa County Court Clerk Sally Howe Smith, whose office refused to grant Baldwin and Bishop a marriage license.

A 10th Circuit hearing on the issue is scheduled April 17.