Nebraska gay marriage ban unwavering

OMAHA, Neb. -- As state bans on same-sex marriages fall across the country, some Nebraska officials are holding strong to that state's status of having one of the nation's most restrictive laws, which affects some of the most basic aspects of gay couples' lives -- from driver's licenses to parenting rights.

Nebraska voters passed a state constitutional amendment in 2000 banning same-sex marriages, civil unions or even legalized domestic partnerships, and it has withstood all legal challenges. The state's hard-line stance is especially jarring when compared to neighboring Iowa, which was one of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage in 2009, said Charlie Joughin, spokesman for Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign.

"If you live in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and work in Omaha, just driving across the (Missouri) river, you immediately lose any and all legal connection to your spouse and your family," he said.

Federal appeals courts covering nearly half the United States soon will hear arguments on gay marriage.

In 2005, a federal judge ruled Nebraska's ban unconstitutional, but an 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel reversed the decision a year later.