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In the January 16 issue of The Advocate, the plaintiff couples who brought marriage cases with the help of the gay rights group Lambda Legal were honored as part of our roundup of "People of the Year." But there were many more plaintiff couples who deserve that honor for contributing their time and energy to marriage cases decided last year.
A number of same-sex marriage cases were decided by state supreme courts in 2006, including defeats in Washington and New York and a ruling for equality in New Jersey. In the January 16 issue of The Advocate the plaintiff couples who brought marriage cases with the help of the gay rights group Lambda Legal were honored as part of our roundup of "People of the Year."
But there were many more plaintiff couples, including those represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, who deserve that honor for contributing their time and energy to marriage cases decided in 2006. In New York and Washington, multiple cases were consolidated when they reached those states' highest courts. In New York state, four cases were combined: a case brought by the ACLU, a case brought by Lambda Legal, and two cases brought by individuals in Nyack and Albany. In Washington state, two cases were combined: a case brought by the ACLU of Washington and a case brought by Lambda Legal.
Following is a list of couples The Advocate has added to its 2006 "People of the Year":
The ACLU plaintiffs in Washington were:
Brenda Bauer and Celia Castle
Jeff Kingsbury and Alan Fuller
Judy Fleissner and Chris Gamache
Marge Ballack and Diane Lantz
Tom Duke and Phuoc Lam
Gary Murrell and Michael Gyde
Karrie Cunningham and Kathy Cunningham
Kevin Chestnut and Curtis Crawford
Pamela Coffey and Valerie Tibbett
Allan Henderson and John Berquist
Lauri Conner and Leja Wright
The ACLU plaintiffs in New York were:
Kathy Burke and Tonja Alvis
Carol Snyder and Heather McDonnell
Amy Tripi and Jeanne Vitale
Wade O. Nichols and Francis Shen
Michael Hahn and Paul Muhonen
Danny O'Donnell and John Banta
Cindy Bink and Ann Pachner
Regina Cicchetti and Susan Zimmer
Alice Muniz and Oneida Garcia
Chelsea Dreher and Laura Collins
John Wessell and Billy O'Connor
The Nyack plaintiffs in New York were:
Elissa Kane and Lynne Lekakis
Robert Barnes and George Jurgsatis
The Ithaca plaintiffs in New York were:
Jason Seymour and Jason Hungerford
Susan Martin and Kristine Shaw
Margot Chiuten and Shawna Black
James Pelton and Jason Thornton
Patricia Flery and Elizabeth Cohen
Patricia Butler and Marjorie Parker
Sandra Fentiman and Alice Kenly
Todd Heron and Ronald Campbell
Lisa Bushlow and Nina Panzer
Teresa Niedzialek and Nancy Chapman
Anne Bell and Elisabeth Lindsay
Brenda Marston and Sarah Simpkins
John Houston and Dave Hebron
Deborah Vogle and Silvia Garcia
Carla Carick and Laurie Koehler
Lawrence Roberts and Oscar Ross Haarstad
Kim Trahan and Christina Knickerbocker
Lee Williams and Beth Dipasqua
Nancy Gabriel and Marion Dagrossa
Joseph Wheeler and David Biddle
Suzanna Schwartz and Mary White
Rodney Fairbanks and Brent Wandel
Amelia Sauter and Leah Houghtaling
Martha Hardesty and Joann Edwards
Sarah B. Jefferis and Tammy J. Travis
