The Washington State Supreme Court today ruled in a sharply divided, 5-4 decision that denying same-sex couples the ability to marry is not in violation of the state constitution. People For the American Way Foundation president Ralph G. Neas issued the following statement.

“Every family deserves the protections afforded by marriage, and gay and lesbian families are no different. The ruling today by the Washington state Supreme Court is more than symbolic—it allows the state to continue to deny real protections to real couples and their children. It does not protect marriage or families or children. It means that more families will lack legal protection, and more children will grow up in households headed by committed, loving parents who nevertheless are denied the ‘fundamental right’ to marry one another and denied the important legal protections accorded to married spouses and their families.”