Thirteen bishops of the Episcopal Church have joined an amici curiae brief filed with the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in support of a lesbian couple’s bid to be married.
“Eliminating discrimination in civil marriage will not impinge upon religious doctrine or practice,” the brief says. “All religions would remain free — as they are today with nineteen states and the District of Columbia permitting same-sex couples to marry — to define religious marriage any way they choose.”
The amici include:
- The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, Bishop of Southern Ohio
- The Rt. Rev. Wendell N. Gibbs, Jr., Bishop of Michigan
- The Rt. Rev. Douglas Hahn, Bishop of Lexington
- The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., Bishop of Ohio, and the Rt. Rev. David C. Bowman, the Rt. Rev. William D. Persell, and the Rt. Rev. Arthur B. Williams, Jr., Assisting Bishops in Ohio
- The Rt. Rev. Whayne M. Hougland, Jr., Bishop of Western Michigan
- The Rt. Rev. Don E. Johnson, Bishop of West Tennessee
- The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, Bishop of Eastern Michigan
- The Rt. Rev. Rayford J. Ray, Bishop of Northern Michigan
- The Rt. Rev. Terry Allen White, Bishop of Kentucky
- The Rt. Rev. George D. Young III, Bishop of East Tennessee
“These bishops lead ten of the eleven dioceses of The Episcopal Church located within the territory of the Sixth Circuit,” the brief says. “They have authorized the blessing of same-sex couples in Episcopal churches in their jurisdictions, including for couples who have already entered into civil marriages in other jurisdictions.”
The full brief follows.
