Henry Franklin Floyd (born November 5, 1947) is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
We recognize that same-sex marriage makes some people deeply uncomfortable. However, inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process and equal protection of the laws. Civil marriage is one of the cornerstones of our way of life. It allows individuals to celebrate and publicly declare their intentions to form lifelong partnerships, which provide unparalleled intimacy, companionship, emotional support, and security.
There is absolutely no reason to suspect that prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying and refusing to recognize their out-of-state marriages will cause same-sex couples to raise fewer children or impel married opposite-sex couples to raise more children. The Virginia Marriage Laws therefore do not further Virginia's interest in channeling children into optimal families, even if we were to accept the dubious proposition that same-sex couples are less capable parents.
Nell Newman
Jerome James
Paul Daniels
Aleksandar Hemon
Ralph Cudworth
Caroline Dhavernas
Christine Lakin
Sasheer Zamata
Martin Brodeur
Heinz Galinski
Adam Rifkin
David Otunga