Marriage isn't just a legal right, Reverend Barbara Sagat, senior pastor at Metropolitan Community Church of Omaha, said.

But she said the push for legalizing gay marriages is also a push for equality under civil law.

Nebraska has a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions, approved by voters in 2002.

Sagat performs about 15 same-sex marriage ceremonies throughout the year at her church, but the certificates her church offers aren't legally binding.

Each Valentine's Day, Sagat and her partner, Sharon Stover, apply for a marriage license from Douglas County and are turned down.

Following a November high-court ruling, state-sanctioned gay marriages are expected to start in Massachusetts in May.

To show support, Sagat is planning to organize hundreds from her parish and the local gay and lesbian community in a mass effort to apply for marriage licenses in Douglas County on May 17.