Minnesota Same-Sex Marriage Pioneer Hails High Court Ruling

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minneapolis man who fought for his own same-sex marriage more than 40 years ago is celebrating the landmark Supreme Court ruling that said gay couples can marry anywhere in the country.

Michael McConnell says the high court affirmed the question he and his partner raised 44 years ago - "same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry."

McConnell says "44 years is a long time to wait for this intuitively obvious answer." He adds he's "just glad I'm here to experience it."

McConnell and Jack Baker tried to get a marriage license in Hennepin County in 1970 but were denied. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the men's Minnesota lawsuit to be the first same-sex couple to legally marry in the U.S.