A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that Kentucky must recognize gay marriages performed outside of the state, the Courier-Journal reported.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn III wrote that while "religious beliefs ... are vital to the fabric of society ... assigning a religious or traditional rationale for a law does not make it constitutional when that law discriminates against a class of people without other reasons."
He added "it is clear that Kentucky's laws treat gay and lesbian persons differently in a way that demeans them."
Heyburn's decision followed a lawsuit by four gay and lesbian couples who wanted their marriages to be acknowledged by the state. However, the case did not argue that same-sex marriage should be legal in Kentucky.
The judge denied the argument brought on by the Family Foundation of Kentucky -- which claimed that same-sex marriage would negatively affect procreation -- and added that "no one has offered any evidence that recognizing same-sex marriages will harm opposite-sex marriages."
However, Martin Cothran, an analyst for the Family Foundation, said the ruling "nullifies the right of Kentucky to determine policies regarding marriage" and that "Kentucky marriage policy will now be dictated from places like Boston and San Francisco."
"If a state like Utah were ever to legalize polygamy, Kentucky would be forced to recognize it under this decision," Cothran added.
He also claimed that voters in the state would be overall disappointed over Heyburn's decision.
"This decision puts Kentucky voters on notice that if their reasons for defining marriage as between a man and a woman don't correspond with the political ideology of liberal judges, their votes don't count."
