Gay and lesbian families scored a rare victory in Virginia last week, when the state’s Supreme Court ruled — in a 5-2 decision — that the state must provide new birth certificates for children born in Virginia and adopted by gay and lesbian couples outside the state. The case was brought by three gay couples who were denied birth certificates for their adopted children.

The key here is that the new birth certificates will be issued with the names of both adoptive parents. In other words, same-sex parents will each be listed as “Parent” on the new birth certificates, rather than as “Mother” and “Father.” This causes a problem in Virginia, according to an Associated Press report. Judge Randall G. Johnson ruled in February 2004 that issuing the new birth certificates conflicted with Virginia’s law prohibiting unmarried couples from adopting. (Virginia law also prohibits same sex marriage. Convenient, that.)

Today the majority of the state Supreme Court begged to differ.

“This case is about issuing birth certificates under the provisions of Virginia law,” the high court wrote in its decision Friday. “It is not about homosexual marriage, nor is it about ‘same-sex’ relationships, nor is it about adoption policy in Virginia.”

Predictably, the Family Foundation of Virginia called the case “another effort by homosexual groups to circumvent the will of Virginians.” Three guesses who they don’t include in their definition of “family.”

It may not seem like a big deal but, take it from this DCist, it’s a very big deal for gay families. A birth certificate is legal proof of a parent-child relationship, and comes in handy for everything from registering for school to making medical decisions. It’s especially important for parents whose relationships with their children might be arbitrarily challenged or denied.

Fortunately, for the three families in this case, they weren’t denied this time.