Oklahoma marriage certificate

Less than two weeks after voting to place a proposal on the November ballot that would constitutionally ban same-sex marriage, Oklahoma law-makers enacted a ban on the recognition of all adoptions by gay and lesbian couples.

Signed by Democratic governor Brad Henry on May 3, the new law would affect gay couples either moving to the state or just passing through by preventing nonbiological parents from making medical or legal decisions for their kids. "The worst thing is that it leaves couples in complete limbo," said Brian Chase, an attorney for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fired who represented Gregory Hampel after the state refused to add his partner's name to their daughter's birth certificate.

The ban flouts the U.S. Constitution, added Chase, which demands recognition of laws from other states, and it punishes the children "because they don't like the parents."