SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Gay rights advocates from across the former Dakota Territory will gather in Rapid City this weekend in an effort to become more politically effective and create unlikely allies.
The first annual Dakotas Equality Summit will start Saturday morning. The summit comes less than a week after a U.S. district judge ruled South Dakota's ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme also announced on Friday that it would take up the issue of whether same-sex couples could wed this term.
The summit will focus on educating attendees about topics ranging from the legal rights same-sex couples have to how to become more politically effective at the statehouse.
The keynote speaker for the summit is Judy Shepard. Shepard's son Matthew was tortured and killed in 1998 for being gay.