Attorneys for same-sex couples fighting to have their marriages recognized in Ohio are urging a federal appeals court to grant them the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Arguments filed today, ask the court to strike down the state's 2004 gay marriage ban, arguing that it's unconstitutional and demeaning.

They are a preview of what's to come on Aug. 6, when the court hears oral arguments in cases from Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The 84-page brief calls on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to endorse a ruling in April made by federal Judge Timothy Black, who said the state's refusal to recognize valid same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. Judge Black adds that Ohio is unlikely to prevail in its appeal. Attorneys for the state have argued that it is Ohio's sole province to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has vowed to uphold the state's gay marriage ban, which also prevents the children of same-sex couples to have both parents' names on birth certificates