A bill defining marriage in Wyoming as between a man and a woman while not recognizing gay marriages performed elsewhere fell to defeat Wednesday, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reported Thursday.
The state Senate defeated the bill after the state House had approved it a few hours earlier.
State Rep.
Owen Peterson, supported the law, and said it filled a void in state law that needed to be resolved.
The state has had a law since 1876 defining marriage as between a man and women, but it also recognizes foreign marriages. Peterson said lawmakers back then didn’t contemplate the types of relationships that exist now.
Rep. Pete Illoway, a Cheyenne Republican, said the existing law doesn't need to be changed and voted against the bill.
"People are equal, whether you agree with their lifestyle or not," he said. "People that you may not agree with are still people."
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