Voters in 11 States Reject Gay-Marriage
By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

n a resounding, coast-to-coast rejection of gay marriage, voters in 11 states approved constitutional amendments Tuesday limiting marriage to one man and one woman.

The amendments won, often by huge margins, in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Utah and Oregon — the one state where gay-rights activists hoped to prevail. The bans won by a 3-to-1 margin in Kentucky, Georgia and Arkansas, 3-to-2 in Ohio, and 6-to-1 in Mississippi.

"This issue does not deeply divide America," said conservative activist Gary Bauer . "The country overwhelmingly rejects same-sex marriage, and our hope is that both politicians and activist judges will read these results and take them to heart."

Gay rights leaders were dismayed by the results but declared that their struggle for marriage equality would continue unabated.

"Fundamental human rights should never be put up for a popular vote," said Matt Foreman of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force . "We'll win some states and we'll lose some states, but eventually the Supreme Court is going to look at the Bill of Rights and isn't going to give a damn what's in any of these state constitutions."

In Georgia, Ohio and Mississippi, gay-rights activists were considering court challenges of the newly approved amendments. But supporters of the bans were jubilant.

"I've said all along that this crossed party lines, color lines and socio-economic lines," said Sadie Fields of the Georgia Christian Coalition. "The people in this state realized that we're talking about the future of our country here."

Conservatives had expected for weeks that the amendments would prevail in at least 10 of the states, thus demonstrating widespread public disapproval of the Massachusetts court ruling a year ago that legalized gay marriage there. National and local gay-rights groups campaigned vigorously in Oregon, where polls had showed a close race, but they failed to prevent a sweep.

None of the 11 states allow gay marriage now, though officials in Portland, Ore., married more than 2,900 same-sex couples last year before a judge halted the practice.

"It feels like a death," said Kelly Burke, 35, of the amendment's passage in Oregon. She is a stay-at-home mother who began receiving health care coverage for the first time after she wed electrician Dolores Doyle, her lesbian partner of 15 years, in Portland last March.

The amendments in Mississippi, Montana and Oregon refer only to marriage, specifying that it should be limited to unions of one man and one woman. The measures in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah call for a ban on civil unions as well.

The Ohio measure, considered the broadest of the 11 because it barred any legal status that "intends to approximate marriage," gathered equal support from men and women, blacks and whites.

In five of the states, legislators placed the proposed amendments on the ballots, while in the six others — Arkansas, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio and Oregon — the measures were advanced by conservative, church-backed citizens groups that collected signatures on petitions.

Already this year, voters in Missouri and Louisiana have weighed in on the issue, with gay-marriage-ban amendments winning more than 70 percent of the vote in both states.

Louisiana's amendment was later struck down in state court on the grounds that it improperly dealt with more than one subject by banning not only same-sex marriage but also any legal recognition of common-law relationships, domestic partnerships and civil unions. The court challenge in Georgia involves a similar argument.

Conservatives say they will continue to press for a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, on the premise that even toughly worded bans in state constitutions could be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court .

this is what the Dubya win in the popular votes was all about.The gay issue.
Why else would they vote for such a failure?

chalk up another victory.... man they just keep on rolling in.

It's just a matter of time. Gay and lesbian people shouldn't be too distraught. Homosexuality is still a bit of a taboo and still grosses a lot of people out.

My guess is until such a time homosexuality can be proven to be genetic, rather than "a choice" - the majority of people will continue to oppose it.

This is today's America. People want their taxes low, their country at war and their Christianity institutionalized. I underestimated the importances of Bush's attempt at a constitutional ammendment banning gay marriage. Everyone knew it would not pass, but I did not realize it would have the effect that it did this fall.

what are you implying?? Bush swore to be a uniter, not a divider and to bring honor and integrity back to the white house!

Yeah...thank GOD they put those evil dirty little homosexuals back in their closet... what would the God-fearing world be if *gasp* they are allowed to *gasp* marry!

This law passed in Ohio and is already being taken to court. It's completely moronic, as is the people who support it...not only does it violate the civil rights of gays, but of unmarried couples (such as myself and my woman). I don't want to have to fucking worry that my home loan isn't going to be approved because we aren't married.

wow, theres a brilliant generalization

I was one of the 23% in Georgia who don't feel the need to use the police power of government to force my religious beliefs on the rest of the globe.


I just don't see Gay Marriage as even something to be concerned with by strait people.

I think the federal government should stay out of this issue and let individual states decide.................

I think most states will ban it

Agreed, but what happens if, say there are gay marriages in Vermont, and a couple moves to Texas, are they still recognized?

I don't believe so..............but there could also be exceptions as such written into the amendment.............

I doubt that would ever be case though...............i think they would just ban it out right.........

Yeah if people had the opportunity to take an unbiased general psych class, they'd perhaps find out that like 80% of psych professionals (not entirely sure of stats) do believe homosexuality to be biologically based. It's very hard to prove though. Like try to prove scientifically that I was born to like men. It's just accepted that I am. No questions asked.

LET THEM MARRY! This issue really pisses me off...they're human beings too! ughhhhhhhh.

I'm really shocked Oregon didn't shoot that down.

Next time any of my Portland friends say Idaho is a back-ass conservative mecca, I'll point out that Idaho didn't go down the path of amending their constitution on this issue.

I was one of those 23% too!
At least fulton county was a light blue there are some people in the state who think like i do.

I get very concerned when people vote to oppress someone's ability to make personal choices. Particularly when those personal choices couldn't possibly affect the lives of those voting against it in any way whatsoever.

Voting to ban gay marriage is like voting to ban blow jobs. It's none of your fucking business if I get one.

Newflash but Kerry wasn't in support of gay marriage either. Is everyone conveniently forgetting that? And I voted for Bush but I don't support a Constitutional Amendment. Stop generalizing.

ha funny I'm in Fulton too. I think it's probably going to be held as unconstitutional anyhow.

I think they should at least make a right available to gay people that says they can see their loved ones in the hospital.

Pretty sick stuff, and yes, I think that these bans were meant to discriminate, not in the act of marriage, but to say that homosexuality is still unacceptable. I hope that gay people are still allowed civil unions within the coming years, because if not, it looks like a lot will be moving to Hawaii or MA.