Petersburg, Va.—Virginia Organizing Chairperson Sandra A. Cook issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage:

“Virginia Organizing is extremely pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court voted to protect the federal benefits of all people lawfully married. The Supreme Court is responsible for protecting the constitutional rights of every person, and today, the justices made it clear that the federal government may not infringe on the rights of same-sex married couples to receive the same protections and benefits as opposite-sex married couples.

Although this is a victory in the movement toward marriage equality, Virginia’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage continues to trample the rights of Virginians. The people of our nation are ready to move forward with equality and we call on Virginia’s lawmakers to end the discrimination against same-sex couples’ right to marry. Virginia Organizing will continue to work for equality of all people and fight against policies that discriminate against any class of individuals.”

To interview a spokesperson for Virginia Organizing, please contact Amanda Pohl at 804-337-1912 or amanda@virginia-organizing.org.