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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2004)
match. 19.2004 • nTîTTTîTTTÏTInews Michael Adams, Lambda Legal education and public affairs director. “We applaud Asbury Park for its leadership and courage. Any time the constitutional right of same-sex couples to marry is acted on, it’s a step forward.” Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit in June 2002 in New Jersey state court on behalf of seven same-sex couples, arguing that denying full marriage to gay men and lesbians violates the state constitution. In November 2003, a trial court decision in favor of the state propelled the case forward into the appeals process, where it will ultimately be decided. W IS C O N S IN he Wisconsin Senate passed a constitution al amendm ent March 12 that would deny marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships to same-sex couples in the state. The measure— which was already passed in the House— must be passed again in the next session of the Legislature by a simple majority of both Houses. The question then would be placed on the ballot, which could not happen before April 2005. “We have faith in the fairness and compas sion of the people of this state,” said Chris O tt, Action Wisconsin executive director. “Wiscon sinites will soundly reject this am endm ent should it pass the Legislature again next January, especially once they understand th at it is- designed to ban civil unions, comprehensive domestic partnership benefits and marriage.” T M A IN E he Maine Senate refused March 5 to con sider a constitutional ban on same-sex mar riage by a vote of 17-16. A similar proposal was defeated Feb. 18 in the House by a vote of 76-63. Betsy S m ith, M aine Lesbian G ay Political A lliance executive director, said th e victory was especially im portant. A hill still before the Legislature th at would give in heritance rights to dom estic partners could have been negatively affected had th e am endm ent reso lution succeeded. Smith expects to see the same amendm ent resurface during the next legislative session and is already preparing a broad coalition of advoca cy groups, from the faith community to business leaders, to prepare for the fight ahead of them. T IN D IA N A ndiana House Republicans admitted defeat M arch 6, bringing to an end their boycott of pro ceedings th at had lasted a week and a half, in a last-ditch effort to ban equal marriage rights for same- sex couples with a constitutional amendment. Hcxise Speak er B. Patrick B auer— backed by the Democrat ic majority in the Indiana H ouse Speaker B. H o u se — w ould Patrick Bauer thw arted a not allow any Republican effort to amend debate on same- the state’s constitution sex marriage, calling it a nonissue and insisting that the Legisla ture needed to deal with more pressing priorities. I G EO R G IA A hill to send to voters an amendm ent to the Georgia C onstitution to ban same-sex marriage failed Feb. 26 by a three-vote margin to get the required 120 of 180 votes in the House. Immediately after the defeat, House Repub licans and conservative Democrats moved to have the measure reconsidered, and right-wing political and religious groups have mounted a venomous campaign to push for a revote. | It’s a you parade. W Y O M IN G n amendm ent to deny the legal recogni tion of same-sex marriages performed out side the state of Wyoming was proposed and defeated Feb. 18. Wyoming is one of 12 states that does not have a Defense of Marriage Act or constitutional provision on the books. "W hy we would not want to support the commitment of two people...I do not know,” said Linda Burt, executive director of the Amer ican Civil Liberties U nions Wyoming chapter. “1 don’t know what the purpose of the state would he in doing that.” A D. Fulps/George Kettner Herzog-Meier 503-644-912 1 *cars @ herzogmeier.com LOCALLY OWNED A OPERATED JVem £acatien ---------- Jiam e iDeiumxed ----------- F R E SH LO C A L ORGANIC ^ Drivers wanted. Ly/y 2 0 1 9 SE B e lm o n t PRODUCE W IT H R ETA IL SPACE Organics to You I (503)236-6496 HOME www.organicstoyou.org DELIVERY OF ORGANIC GOODS N A TIO N A L og Cabin Republicans launched an unprece dented $1 million national advertising cam paign March 10 oppos ing the Federal Mar riage Amendment. The proposal would not only deny civil marriage rights for same-sex cou ples but also jeopardize civil unions and domes tic partner benefits. A 30-second tele vision commercial be gan airing March 11 Dick C heney’s words around W ashington, are coming back to D C ., and in seven haunt him crucial swing states: O hio, Missouri, Florida, M innesota, New M ex ico, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. T he ad uses excerpts from a 2000 debate in which then vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney said marriage should be regulated by the states, not the federal government. “As Republicans, it is our obligation to stand up and speak out when our party is headed in the wrong direction,” said Patrick Guerriero, Log Cabin executive director. “The Republican Party has a choice: Be the party of Lincoln, Rea gan, Schwarzenegger and Guiliani or be the party of Bauer, Falwell, Robertson and B uchanan.... Choosing the wrong path will put the Republican Party on the wrong side of his tory. Fairness and freedom will prevail over intolerance and exclusion.” L he Office of the Special Counsel is active ly trying to roll back a 23-year-old inter pretation of a statute that prevents federal workplace discrimination based on sexual ori entation. T he office, which is responsible for investigating and prosecuting federal workplace discrimination, in recent weeks has removed all information about filing claims of discrimina tion based on sexual orientation from its Web site and handbooks. The office has stated publicly that it is re evaluating its statutory authority to investigate claims of discrimination based on sexual orien tation. In a release Feb. 27, special counsel Scott Bloch said the protection against sexual orienta tion-based discrimination originated in an exec utive order from five years ago. However, a new letter from former special counsel Elaine Kaplan called that claim “demonstrably inaccurate...indeed, I cannot imagine where you derived this understanding of the basis for O S C s pre-existing policy regard ing sexual orientation discrimination com plaints.” She went on to note that the very doc uments that have been removed from the office’s Web site would have demonstrated her point clearly. 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