A lesbian couple from Honolulu is suing the state of Hawaii for the right to marry after being told they could not file for a marriage license by the state health department.

Natasha N. Jackson (pictured left) and Janin Kleid (pictured right) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court Wednesday, claiming that their rights to due process and equal protection as guaranteed in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution were violated. The defendants named are Gov. Neil Abercrombie, and Loretta J. Fuddy, director of the state health department.

The lawsuit comes as Hawaii's long-battled civil union law goes into effect in January. The state approved a gay marriage ban in 1998, designating marriage only for heterosexual couples.
Jackson and Kleid also argue that they must be allowed to marry in order to access certain federal benefits, according to the Associated Press. The couple has been together for four years, and through that time has endured their share of financial and health-related hardships. Most recently, Jackson was unable to insure Kleid under her Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) plan, a federal health care plan.

Follow SheWired on Twitter!

Follow SheWired on Facebook!