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| State Sen. Bill Stephens (R-Canton) says his proposal to amend the state constitution
to ban gay marriage is an effort to defend the 'sanctity of marriage' but his
ex-wife says that claim is 'baloney.' The GOP Senate leader said he had the couple's
15-year marriage annulled so he could start fresh with 'the love of his life,'
his second wife. (Photo by AP)
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HOME > NEWS > BREAKING NEWS
By: RYAN LEE
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State Sen. Bill Stephens, sponsor of a proposed amendment to Georgia's constitution
that would ban gay marriage, is in no position to defend the "sanctity of
marriage," his former wife told Southern Voice this week.
The woman, who asked that her name not be published, said she and Stephens
were married for 15 years and had two sons before the couple split in 1991,
in part because she heard persistent allegations that he was having an extramarital
affair.
In an interview on Jan. 30, Stephens acknowledged the divorce from his first
wife but denied there were any allegations regarding extramarital affairs.
"Unfortunate things happen," said Stephens, a Republican from Canton,
Ga., and the Senate's majority leader.
Stephens announced the gay marriage amendment Jan. 21, the day after President
Bush vowed to defend "traditional marriage" in his State of the Union
address, but Stephens was dropped to fourth on the list of sponsors when it
was officially introduced in the state Senate on Jan. 26.
The proposed amendment declares that Georgia "shall recognize as marriage
only the union of man and woman. Marriage between persons of the same sex are
prohibited in this state."
Many Democratic legislators opposed to the amendment dismissed the proposal
as a political ploy to turn out large numbers of conservative voters in the
November general election, in which all 236 seats in the Georgia General Assembly
will be up for election.
But Stephens' support for the amendment also drew criticism from political
opponents.
"If I'm Bill Stephens, I don't believe I would talk about the 'sanctity
of marriage' or anything to do with anyone's personal life," said Bobby
Khan, interim chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia.
When she heard Stephens' comments about defending the "sanctity of marriage," his
ex-wife scoffed.
"It's a bunch of baloney," she said. "The only thing Bill Stephens
will do is try to get himself reelected."
The only reason behind the divorce that Stephens' ex-wife was willing to discuss
was the "persistent rumor" of an extramarital affair involving Stephens,
who was then working as press secretary for then-Gov. Zell Miller (D-Ga.).
Stephens announced his resignation on May 9, 1991. His divorce took place
on Aug. 20, 1991, according to records from the Georgia Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Miller, who is completing his tenure as a U.S. senator from Georgia, indicated
earlier this week that it was Stephens' decision to resign as press secretary.
Asked by Southern Voice only to confirm Stephens' dates of employment, Miller
instructed his staff to issue a statement that went much further, saying, "Bill
Stephens was not fired and if you insist on saying he was, it is untrue.
"He left the governor's office on his own free will," Miller said
in the statement. "I have known Bill Stephens and his family for most
of his life and have always had a very high regard for his ability and character."
Stephens worked as Miller's press secretary during his tenure as lieutenant
governor, during his gubernatorial candidacy and during the first five months
of Miller's first term as governor.
Miller's office did not respond to repeated interview requests to discuss
further Stephens' employment by the former governor.
In late 1994, Stephens said, he met the woman who would become his second wife,
Shannon Walshe Stephens, a reporter for WSB-TV. When the couple decided to
marry, Stephens said, his previous marriage presented religious difficulties
for Walshe, who is Catholic.
Stephens said he obtained an annulment "out of respect for the love of
my life," by honoring her religion and presenting himself to her with
a clean slate.
Stephens and his first wife were legally divorced in 1991, and the Catholic
Church granted a religious annulment in 1996, clearing the way for him to remarry,
Stephens said.
Stephens' proposed amendment is not the first time a prominent Georgia politician
has attacked gay relationships despite his own marital difficulties.
While a member of Congress, Republican Bob Barr was the primary sponsor of
the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law banning gay marriage, despite
having been married three times.
As Georgia attorney general from 1981 to 1997, Michael Bowers defended the
state's sodomy law to the U.S. Supreme Court, winning a 1986 ruling that found
no "fundamental right" to homosexual sex. Bowers also won a protracted
legal battle after firing lesbian attorney Robin Shahar in 1991 after learning
of her planned religious commitment ceremony with her female partner.
But in 1997, Bowers — then a candidate for governor in the Republican
primary — acknowledged a long-term extramarital affair, in violation
of Georgia laws ...
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