Louisiana

STATUS: Anti-relationship recognition constitutional amendment

TAKE ACTION: State advocacy groups are working toward fairness for all of Louisiana's families by overturning a constitutional amendment that prohibits any form of family status for same-sex couples in the state.

HISTORY: In 2004, anti-gay forces in Louisiana pushed through Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment that excludes same-sex couples from marriage and prohibits same-sex couples from attaining any form of legal family status. 

GROUPS ACTIVELY WORKING ON MARRIAGE:

  • Forum For Equality is a political action committee and civil rights organization dedicated to the establishment of a society free from discrimination and to the support of good government.
  • Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage for same-sex couples nationwide. 
  • Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. 
POLLING DATA: Voters in Louisiana are beginning to shift their perspectives on same-sex couples, with 54% of respondents saying they support either marriage or civil union for same-sex couples. (Public Policy Polling, February 2013) 

NUMBER OF SAME-SEX COUPLES: According to The Williams Institute's analysis of the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,076 same-sex couples are living in Louisiana, representing 4.7 same-sex couples per 1,000 households.

Blog Posts Related to Louisiana

My Two Moms: How 12 awesome families are celebrating Mothers’ Day this year

Mothers' Day is a time to recognize the many varieties of families that come together to make our country so interesting. There is no one formulation for what makes a strong family, and there is no magic blueprint for what makes a good mother: The one thing that strong, dynamic families have in common is love.

Wyoming and nine other states file anti-gay Amicus Brief in Prop 8 Appeal

Wyoming and nine other states have filed an anti-gay amicus brief in the Prop 8 appeal case saying the Constitution does not require marriage to include same-sex couples and that states, not federal courts, have final say in whether to honor the freedom to marry.

Court: Louisiana must put two adoptive fathers on document

Louisiana must put both fathers' names on the birth certificate of a boy adopted by a same-sex couple, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. A three-judge panel unanimously upheld a district judge's ruling, ordering the state registrar to quickly issue a new certificate for the boy identified as "Infant J," and "J.C. A.-S."

U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey found that the law was so clear that no trial was needed. Louisiana's law requires the state to list adoptive parents' names. Because New York law allows adoption by unmarried couples, Louisiana had to follow that law in writing the new certificate, he wrote.

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Resources Related to Louisiana

Census 2010: More Gay Parents Raising Children in South

UCLA demographers analyzing 2010 Census Bureau data have found that same-sex couples raising children are more common in the South than in any other region in the United States.

Party Principles: Support for the Freedom to Marry by State and National Political Parties

A listing of both state and national political parties that have made strong statements in support of the freedom to marry.

Louisiana Census Snapshot

Demographic and economic information about same-sex couples and same-sex couples raising children in Louisiana.

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