Oklahoma Legislature referred HB2259, a constitutional same-sex marriage ban, to voters
The Oklahoma State Senate passed HB2259 38-7 on April 15, 2004, and the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 92-4 to concur on April 22, 2004, completing the Legislature's referral of State Question 711 — a proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman only — to Oklahoma voters. The amendment barred recognition of any same-sex marriage performed in another jurisdiction and made it a misdemeanor to knowingly issue a marriage license in violation. Oklahoma voters approved SQ711 by approximately 76 percent on November 2, 2004.