Gay Marriage Ban Heads To Idaho Voters

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/02/021506idaho.htm

The Idaho Senate voted on Wednesday to put a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would bar same-sex marriage on the November ballot.

The Senate vote was 26-9.

During debate opponents argued that a constitutional amendment is unnecessary because state law already defines marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Supporters said the amendment would prevent judges from overturning that law, and pointed to New Jersey where that state's Supreme Court Wednesday began considering whether to overturn a law against gay marriage. (story)

[Erika]

1. This made us absolutely sick.

The republicans, who are the vast majority, are trying to see how far right each can get to win in 2006. They are using the gay issue to turn out the right wing vote like Karl Rove did in 2004.

They have two absolutely far right nuts running for senate, Vasquez which is a Faux visitor for his stand against immigration, and Sali who is close to Pat Robertson in his beliefs and expressions. Both well funded by out of staters.

The interesting part is that Sorenson, a former state legislator and a republican, is also running for senator.
She had been instrumental in stopping this movement in the last four years. She felt the amendment divisive and unneeded.

The GLBT community here is planning a major outreach to vote against the amendment. I will pass on letters to the editors to the Idaho Statesman or you can check them at www.idahostatesman.com

We have already written one tonight.

[Exiled in America]

2. Sorry everybody...

...we tried. :(

[Q3JR4]

3. It was only a matter of time.

Everyone who lives in Idaho knows it, and everyone who ever had any inkling of what Idaho politics is like knows it. There is something to keep in mind, though. We stopped the amendment twice before this. We did it in what has been hailed as the most conservative state in the union, and I think that's something all fair-minded Idahoans can be proud of.

The fight ahead will be long and arduous, and if history serves we will loose it. We can, however, make headway another way. We can use contacts we have in this state with brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles, cousins, and friends, to fight first the amendment, and later we can use our strength at this outrage to oust some of those who voted against us. While the republicans are celebrating their victory and hoping that the resulting public outcry brings out the conservative voters, we can pour our money into the coffers of good progressives who are running for both houses of Idaho's congress.

Whatever our statewide leaders on this issue do, if they scream their outrage at the state with media coverage and newspaper articles, we can help to make a difference behind the scenes. We the people may have to split our contributions in more than one way but I don't see a problem with that.

Public opinion slowly and inexorably shifts in our direction as the weeks and months progress. I can't be the only one to see this. We can hope that, even with a constitutional amendment, one day the future leaders of the senate and the house will see us for the people that we are. They will admonish their elders (and I for one hope they are around to see and hear the admonishment) and repeal the law. That or the supreme court will get involved and the law will go the way of the anti-miscegeny laws.

Whatever the case, we've already won. That too is history.

Until that day, I will do my best to keep up what happens in our state. If an unattended consequence of this amendment rocks two people and I hear about it, you can rest assure that the legislature will hear about it. If someone looses their insurance benefits because of this amendment, I will blast Idaho's congress with an email telling them that it's "YOUR FAULT." We may not have the strength to fight the amendment (if history in other states is any indication, which it may not be), but we do have the voice to put the blame exactly where it belongs.

Just my two cents.