Wyoming Senate Defeats Same-Sex Marriage Bill

(AP) - The Wyoming Senate has defeated a bill that would have barred state recognition of same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

The Senate voted 16-14 against the bill on Wednesday. The Wyoming House had approved it earlier in the day.

The Senate rejection follows a conference committee vote Tuesday to remove contentious language that the Senate inserted last month. The language would have granted same-sex couples with marriages performed in other states access to Wyoming courts to resolve conflicts such as child custody issues.

Wyoming law already specifies that marriage exists only between one man and one woman, but it also says the state will recognize legitimate marriages performed elsewhere.