Keith Bardwell

A Louisiana justice of the peace who refused to marry a couple because the bride was white and groom was black resigned Tuesday. Keith Bardwell, who is white, quit the post with a one-sentence statement to Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne and no explanation of his decision: "I do hereby resign the office of Justice of the Peace for the Eighth Ward of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, effective November 3, 2009." Bardwell refused to perform the ceremony for Beth Humphrey and Terence McKay...Read Full Story

An interracial couple in Louisiana have been denied a marriage license by an official who considers their union morally wrong, according to local media. "I'm not a racist," Keith Bardwell, a justice of the peace in rural Tangipahoa Parish, told the Hammond Star. "I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children." Bardwell told the paper that he believes interracial marriages do not last and that the children of such unions are not accepted by...Read Full Story

TANGIPAHOA, La. — A Louisiana story capturing international headlines–one Governor Bobby Jindal says is a clear violation of federal and state law.  It all begins with a Tangipahoa Parish couple looking to make their love for one another, everlasting. Beth Humphrey wanted to begin her new life in a new house with a new found love.  She and Terrance McKay had hoped to get married, but their vows would soon be delayed in an almost unbelievable way.  The story began simply enough with...Read Full Story

by Katie Schaarschmidt Keith Bardwell, a white justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish in southeastern Louisiana, refused to issue a marriage license to interracial couple Beth Humphrey, 30 and Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond, LA. In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Bardwell said, "I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way." He told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith, "I've had countless numbers of people that was born in that situation, and...Read Full Story

This is a guest post from the ever brilliant Monica of TransGriot Looks like gay couples aren't the only ones being denied the ability to get married in Louisiana. We made the argument in Kentucky when our marriage ban was on the ballot in 2004 that if you banned same gender marriages, and gave local clerks the power to deny or annul people's marriages, then the marriages of people they didn't like would also be on the chopping block. Hmm, didn't take long for them to go after interracial...Read Full Story