To: State Desk, Legal Reporter
Contact: Gloria Allred

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Attorney Gloria Allred, her law partner John S. West and their clients, Robin Tyler and Diane Olson of Los Angeles, Calif., will attend the oral argument hearing on same gender marriage laws to held on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004 at 9:30 a.m. at the San Francisco County Superior Court, 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA,
Dept. 304, Judge Richard Kramer presiding.

Ms. Tyler and Ms. Olson requested and were denied a California marriage license by Los Angeles County on February 12, 2004 because of their gender. (See news coverage of the denial from that date.)

Represented by Ms. Allred and Mr. West, the couple then filed the first lawsuit in California challenging the denial of marriage licenses to same gender couples and seeking to compel the issuance of the license by arguing that the law which states that marriage is a civil contract between a man and a woman is unconstitutional (February 23, 2004).

Also represented in that lawsuit is Rev. Troy D. Perry and his partner, Phillip Ray DeBlieck.

The couples' lawsuit filed in L.A. County was later consolidated with other lawsuits which were filed in San Francisco after theirs and which made similar arguments. The consolidated cases will be heard on Wednesday.

Note: Robin Tyler is a nationally known lesbian rights activist and co-chair of DontAmend.com. Her life partner, Diane Olson, is a granddaughter of former California Democratic Governor Culbert Levy Olson.

Rev. Troy Perry is the first openly gay member of the Los Angeles Human Rights Commission and a past delegate to the White House Conference on Hate Crimes. His is also the founder of the Metropolitan Community Church. His partner is Phillip Ray DeBlieck.

Attorney Gloria Allred and her law firm have won many precedent-setting cases for the gay and lesbian community and have received many honors from that community for their pioneering work for over two decades on behalf of gay and lesbian rights.

http://www.usnewswire.com/