Juneau, AK – Alaska joined in on the battle for marriage equality on Monday, when a suit was filed in the U.S. District Court, challenging the state’s ban on gay marriages.

“The suit directly challenges the prohibition on same-sex marriages (which voters amended the Alaska State Constitution to include back in 1998) asserting that the ban violates the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution,” reports the Alaska Commons.

Five couples have signed on as plaintiffs in the case.

“We are taking a stand because marriage should be available to all loving couples,” said one of the plaintiffs, Matthew Hamby, in a recent press release. “It’s important to us that our family is recognized by the state of Alaska and that we have the same rights and privleges as others.”

The couples are to be represented by attorneys Heather Gardner, Allison Mendel and Caitlin Shortell. Alaska governor Sean Parnell and Attorney General Michael Geraghty are named as defendants in the suit.