Marriage equality pioneer mourned by gay community

She stood up for her own marriage rights 40 years ago, and then stood up for lesbian and gay Americans when they asked for the same treatment.

Mildred Loving has died at the age of 68. She may not have been well-known, but her actions and those of her husband challenged American prejudice.

In June 1958, two residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia - Mildred Jeter, a Black/Native American woman, and Richard Perry Loving, a Caucasian man - were married in Washington DC.

Upon their return to Virginia, they were charged with violating Virginia's anti-miscegenation statutes, which made their marriage a felony.

They challenged their convictions, culminating in the June 12, 1967 Supreme Court opinion in Loving vs Virginia, striking down the remaining anti-miscegenation laws that were still in effect in sixteen states.

Marriage equality pioneer mourned by gay community
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