Anti-Gay Amendments Fail In 2 States

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/02/021606bansDie.htm

) Proposed amendments state constitutions to block same-sex marriage failed to get enough support to advance in West Virginia and New Hampshire.

In West Virginia the House of Delegates voted largely along party lines in a procedural vote to kill a proposed amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

Opponents said the issue of preventing same-sex couples from marrying is already covered under a law passed in 2000. The law was upheld by the state Supreme Court in 2004.

But supporters of an amendment say the court could still one day overturn the so-called Defense of Marriage law.

[Inland]

1. Whatever happened to Massachusetts

and efforts for an amendment to state const. to "reverse" the supreme judicial court decision?

[rox63]

2. The effort is ongoing

But I'm pretty certain it will ultimately fail. Straight people in Massachusetts have noticed that the sky hasn't fallen, and that it has had absolutely no effect on their lives or marraiges. Same-sex marriage in MA has happily become a big yawn.

[terrya]

4. And that's the way it should be.

Same-sex marriage SHOULD ultimately be a big yawn. Not same-sex marriages themselves. They should be as celebrated, as cherished, as heterosexual ones. But the whole issue, fraught with controversy, acrimony, divisiveness...THAT's what ultimately should become a big yawn. I suspect, besides Massachusetts (which I agree, the effort to ban same-sex marriage there will fail), the people of Canada are discovering the same thing...the sky hasn't fallen, plagues of locusts haven't swept across the country, millions of marriages haven't been destroyed, etc, etc. Nothing has changed there and people will realize that.

[JudyM]

5. I hope the social scientists are doing solid studies in MA that will prove

there's no negative impact on society. Last night I caught a couple minutes of O'Reilly interviewing the American Family guy (I always forget his name because he's so revolting) about gay marriage, and O'Reilly asked him how allowing gay marriage can harm straight marriages. The guy responded that in nordic countries where gay marriage is legal, straights aren't getting married so much any more -- I think he said 60% of the people aren't married... and O'Reilly's response was "Well, that's true in Sweden, at least." What BS, and this is on a "news" show that millions watch.

The fact that studies generally show no harm to children, etc. is never mentioned, just that children 'need a mother and a father.' Well, if that's the case, outlaw divorce, you sinister hatemongers.



:eyes:

[triakis36]

6. People in Norway and Sweden are pretty happy with life

Norway and Sweden rank #1 and #2 in the UN quality of life survey in 2004. The fundamentalists are just shitting themselves because Nordic people don't give a lick about religious tradition and are actually better for it. Here's a wonderful little quote I found in this article.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-12-15-marriage_x.htm

"Religion has had too many bad things going for it for too long," Hanssen says. "Every single war, every single conflict, everything has been based on religion; so it just reaches a point where you say, 'If God is that great, he's not doing a very good job, is he?' Eventually, you end up choosing not to believe because to me it's just too much of a contradiction. I've got to hope there's no God, because if there is, I've got some issues with him."

[JudyM]

10. Interesting... religion is certainly misused, just as the constitution is

by parties who operate at cross-purposes from its key principles.
I visited Stockholm and thought the people were really delightful and grounded.

Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[TaleWgnDg]

7. Inland, the first attempt to amend the Massachusetts constitution

.

Inland, the first attempt to amend the Massachusetts constitution failed in the state legislature in 2005. But that didn't stop the religion-into-law types. So, the second attempt to amend the Massachusetts constitution through a citizen's ballot initiative has succeeded in the first-stages. That is, the citizen's ballot petition has received the required number of registered voters signatures. However, it must then go on and be passed by the state legislature before it appears on the ballot in 2008 for an "up or down" vote from voters.

John Adams, who authored our constitution in 1779 (ratified in 1780), made damn sure that it was difficult to amend.

In the meantime, opinion has solidified in Massachusetts. Not only are more Bay Staters in favor of same-sex marriage (having become familiar w/ it and their families, thus have found that the "sky hasn't fallen"), but the ground swell is increasing in favor of retaining Goodridge v. Department of Public Health and not put anti-gay discrimination into our state constitution.



.

[Inland]

8. difficult amendment process let emotions cool, apparently

Enough for some assessment of empirical evidence. Sky still up? Check.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

3. It's always gratifying

to see my state's representatives being sane.

Though we do have just enough Repiglicans in our House of Delegates to be dangerous, most of the time we can keep them herded off in their weird little closet-o-hate.

[LiberalGuy000]

9. New Jersey

And it looks like same-sex marriage will be legal in New Jersey very soon. :D

[pro_blue_guy]

11. Wow! All I can say is "Go West Virginia!"

You make this Ohioan proud!