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By: DYANA BAGBY
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Across the country, gay marriage opponents and proponents are gearing up for
serious battle as voters in up to 13 states may weigh constitutional amendments
this year.
The first state to take the marriage test will be Missouri on Tuesday. Louisiana
follows in September, with the bulk of states, including Georgia, deciding
on Nov. 2.
To date, other states where voters will decide whether to include a gay marriage
ban in their constitutions are Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana,
Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Ballot measures are also likely in Michigan and Ohio, though petition drives
are still under review by state officials. A petition drive to put a marriage
ban on the ballot in North Dakota is due Aug. 3.
States that may consider gay marriage measures in 2005 include Wisconsin,
Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Massachusetts.
Whether the results of Missouri’s Aug. 3 vote will affect outcomes in
the other states is pure speculation, political observers say. But those in
favor of the Missouri constitutional amendment said their state can make a
significant statement to the nation should voters approve the ban.
“We’re trying very hard to make a positive statement from America’s
heartland that we value traditional marriage and we don’t want to see
it thrown in the trash heap of history,” said Vicky Hartzler, spokesperson
for the Coalition to Protect Marriage in Missouri and a former Republican state
representative.
Missouri already has a law banning same-sex marriages, but Hartzler said a
constitutional amendment is needed to prevent “judicial attacks.”
“We need to do everything we can to shore up our constitution,” she
said.
For those against the state ballot initiatives, Missouri is no clear bellwether.
“We think that the tone of the presidential race will affect other states
far more than what happens in Missouri,” said Rea Carey, deputy executive
director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. “While Missouri
is first out of the box, each state is different … and it is no coincidence
that the ballot initiatives are in battleground states for the presidency.”
HRC has paid for four organizers to be on the ground in Missouri and contributed
close to $100,000 to defeat the amendment, said Seth Kilbourn, national field
organizer for HRC.
In Georgia, gay civil rights activists say the proposed constitutional amendment
is a way to motivate gay citizens to organize and become more involved in the
political process — win or lose.
“The most important thing we must do is tell our story, get the facts
out and do our best to persuade people they should not cement discrimination
into the constitutions,” said Allen Thornell, former executive director
of Georgia Equality and now deputy regional political director of the Service
Employees International Union in Atlanta.
The Federal Marriage Amendment — a proposed change to the U.S. Constitution
defining marriage as only between a man and a woman — lost on a procedural
vote in the Senate earlier this month.
But Gary Bauer, chair of Campaign for Working Families and a former presidential
candidate, plans to watch closely what happens in the states.
“This issue of marriage ought to be decided by people rather than judges,” he
said. “I’m in favor of states using as many different approaches
as they can to try to make sure that they’re not forced by some court
ruling [on gay marriage]. Whether or not they will hold up in court remains
to be seen.”
Gay civil rights supporters in Missouri understand all eyes will be on them
come Aug. 3.
“We’re kind of the pioneers,” said Barbara Woodruff, a spokesperson
for the Constitution Defense League in St. Louis. “And this Saturday
we’re planning a massive get-out-the-vote drive.”
Recent polls by the Kansas City Star and St. Louis-Post Dispatch show most
voters in favor of a gay marriage ban in Missouri.
“We are very encouraged with our progress so far, but we are not taking
victory for granted,” Hartzler said.
No one state can truly be a barometer for what will happen in the others,
but the one definite outcome is that gay men and lesbians will face losses
at the polls, according to Evan Wolfson, author of “Why Marriage Matters:
America, Equality and Gay People’s Right to Marry.”
“Clearly, we will take some hits,” he said.
Wolfson serves as executive director of Freedom to Marry, a national organization
working to secure equal marriage rights for gay couples.
“This is all very terrible, very painful for the families involved,
but those states are not alone — they are all part of a national dialogue,” Wolfson
said. “It is shameful our opponents are so reckless with the ...
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