[Carol]

Actually, interracial heterosexual marriages were still illegal in the USA state of Virginia until – believe it or not – June 12, 1967. (That law imposed a 1 to 5 year prison sentence for heterosexual interracial marriages in the state of Virginia.) On 6/12/67, the US Supreme Court decided the ‘Loving vs. Virginia’ case, and ruled that Virginia’s law against interracial heterosexual marriages was unconstitutional. Info: RICHARD PERRY LOVING et ux., Appellants, v. VIRGINIA 388 US 1, 18 L ed 2d 1010, 87 S Ct 1817 Argued April 10, 1967. Decided June 12, 1967 In an opinion by WARREN, Ch.J., expressing the view of eight members of the court, it was held that the Virginia statutes violated both the equal protection and the due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Mr. Chief Justice Warren delivered the opinion of the Court. My favorite part of the ruling is the ending: ‘These statutes also deprive the Lovings of liberty without due process of law in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men. Marriage is one of the ‘basic civil rights of man,’ fundamental to our very existence and survival. To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State’s citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discriminations. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State. These convictions must be reversed. It is so ordered.’ For more info, see: Association of MultiEthnic Americans, Inc. P.O. Box 341304 Los Angeles, CA 90034-1304 http://www.latinoculture.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.ameasite.org/loving.html

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Name : Carol, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 46, City : Pennsauken, State : NJ, Country : United States, Occupation : IT Training & Documentation Manager, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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