Oklahoma Legislature referred HB2259, a constitutional same-sex marriage ban, to voters

On April 22, 2004, the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 92-4 to concur with Senate amendments to HB2259, completing the Oklahoma Legislature's referral of State Question 711 — a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage — to voters. The Oklahoma State Senate had passed the measure 38-7 on April 15, 2004. The enrolled bill was signed and filed with the Oklahoma Secretary of State on April 26, 2004.

HB2259, authored by Representatives Wilt and Coffee, proposed to add a new provision to the Oklahoma Constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman only. The amendment would bar the state from recognizing any same-sex marriage performed in any other jurisdiction and would make it a misdemeanor for any person to knowingly issue a marriage license in violation of the provision.

Updates

2004-11-02 — Oklahoma voters approved SQ711, ratifying the same-sex marriage ban [3]

Oklahoma voters approved State Question 711 on November 2, 2004 by approximately 76 percent in favor, ratifying the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

2015-06-26 — Supreme Court's Obergefell ruling superseded the Oklahoma marriage ban [3]

The U.S. Supreme Court held in Obergefell v. Hodges that state bans on same-sex marriage violate the U.S. Constitution, superseding the Oklahoma constitutional provision enacted by SQ711.