The head of an organization that supports same-sex marriage rights is praising a federal appeals court's decision that struck down Oklahoma's ban on gay marriage.
A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals handed down the decision on Friday. The court panel put the ruling on hold pending further appeals.
Toby Jenkins, executive director of Oklahomans for Equality, says the organization has been working on the gay marriage issue in Oklahoma for 14 years. He said he is surprised how quickly public opinion concerning gay marriage has changed since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act last year.
Jenkins says he is excited that Oklahoma "will be counted among the places where all of its citizens are treated equally."