Fighting gay marriage through ballot
G. Jeffrey MacDonald/Religion News Service
Issue date: 6/21/09 Section: Divine Intervention
The ink had barely dried on Maine Gov. John Baldacci's signature legalizing gay marriage in May when Catholic and evangelical opponents began circulating a petition for a "people's veto" to override lawmakers with a simple majority at the ballot box.
In Iowa, where the state Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in April, activists are pursuing a constitutional amendment that could get the issue in front of voters as soon as 2012.
And in New Hampshire, where Gov. John Lynch recently signed a bill to make the Granite State the sixth state to allow gay marriage, social conservatives hope to put the issue on town meeting ballots across the state next year in a bid to document widespread dissent.
The message coming from gay marriage opponents is clear: pillar institutions of American democracy - first, the courts and, now, lawmakers - are hopelessly compromised and not to be trusted, at least not with one of the biggest social issues of our time.
Stunned by four states legalizing same-sex marriage in just two months, social conservatives are working hard to stop it, often through the avenue where they've had their greatest success: the ballot box. Reason No. 1 for turning to the ballot box? It works.
To date, state constitutional bans on gay marriage have passed in all 30 states where they've appeared on the ballots. "I'm getting (the marriage issue) before the people as often as I can," said Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage, a pro-traditional marriage group.
Lawmakers in eight more states tried to move similar measures this year, although none received the legislative green light to advance to the ballot box, according to Christine Nelson, policy analyst for same-sex marriage issues at the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Conservatives say they recognize the need to explain not only banning gay marriage but also why they're choosing to push the issue through the ballot. After all, they've agreed to live with legislative and judicial decisions on other hot-button issues, from abortion to religious freedom, even when those decisions haven't gone their way.
In Iowa, where the state Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in April, activists are pursuing a constitutional amendment that could get the issue in front of voters as soon as 2012.
And in New Hampshire, where Gov. John Lynch recently signed a bill to make the Granite State the sixth state to allow gay marriage, social conservatives hope to put the issue on town meeting ballots across the state next year in a bid to document widespread dissent.
The message coming from gay marriage opponents is clear: pillar institutions of American democracy - first, the courts and, now, lawmakers - are hopelessly compromised and not to be trusted, at least not with one of the biggest social issues of our time.
Stunned by four states legalizing same-sex marriage in just two months, social conservatives are working hard to stop it, often through the avenue where they've had their greatest success: the ballot box. Reason No. 1 for turning to the ballot box? It works.
To date, state constitutional bans on gay marriage have passed in all 30 states where they've appeared on the ballots. "I'm getting (the marriage issue) before the people as often as I can," said Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage, a pro-traditional marriage group.
Lawmakers in eight more states tried to move similar measures this year, although none received the legislative green light to advance to the ballot box, according to Christine Nelson, policy analyst for same-sex marriage issues at the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Conservatives say they recognize the need to explain not only banning gay marriage but also why they're choosing to push the issue through the ballot. After all, they've agreed to live with legislative and judicial decisions on other hot-button issues, from abortion to religious freedom, even when those decisions haven't gone their way.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 5
Andreas Lights
posted 6/22/09 @ 5:14 PM EST
Lawmakers and the courts have upheld the basic notion that equal means equal, and that same-sex partnerships are just the latest in a long evolution of marriage since the Biblical days when men owned as many wives as they could afford, and killed them without penalty for committing adultery. (Continued…)
Andreas Lights
posted 6/22/09 @ 5:40 PM EST
P.S. I failed to mention that Christians were once a persecuted minority. They were fed to the Lions for the enjoyment of the majority and killed for sport. (Continued…)
MarcoLuxe
posted 6/23/09 @ 2:58 AM EST
Kevin Smith and other conservative proponents choose not to see what the courts have clearly laid out for them when he says "I don't think the pro-marriage folks can see any rationale for saying that same-sex couples have the right to marry". (Continued…)
MTB
posted 6/23/09 @ 3:55 PM EST
Voting on Equal Rights, sounds like KKK mentality, we the mob, holding a bible, have based our dislike for you on scripture, and therefore burn this cross to take away your rights to freedom of choice. (Continued…)
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