A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages was reintroduced on May 21 by a
handful of socially reactionary members of the House of Representatives. The
proposed amendment, H.J.Res 56, would define marriage as consisting 'only of the
union of a man and a woman.'
This is the third year in a row that the group has introduced the measure 'to protect
marriage,' and it has gone nowhere. No Senator has ever introduced companion
legislation. There are no federal marriage laws, traditionally it is an area of state
jurisdiction in the U.S.
The lead sponsor is Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., and two of the five cosponsors are
Democrats. But the number of original cosponsors is dwindling. Two conservative
'Blue Dog' Democrats who had signed on in the past had their congressional
district lines redrawn and lost to more moderate Republicans in the last election.
Groups such as Focus on the Family and its political arm the Family Research
Council once showered introduction of the amendment with a media blitz. But now
they are silent, perhaps acknowledging the futility of the measure.
The Human Rights Campaign alerted their members to the reintroduction and is
urging the community to contact their representatives. 'This amendment is divisive
and discriminatory, and seeks to treat one group of citizens differently than everyone
else,' said HRC's executive director Elizabeth Birch. The American Civil Liberties
Union sent a letter to each member of Congress May 23, urging his or her
opposition to H.J. Res 56. It called the measure 'extraordinarily harmful' on seven
specific counts.
Among them is that it would invalidate domestic-partnership laws in more than a
hundred jurisdictions. 'The amendment could prohibit state and local governments
from making their own decisions on providing benefits to their own employee's
families,' wrote ACLU attorney Christopher Anders.
Meanwhile the issue of gay marriage continues to vigorously bubble throughout the
nation. Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed a state version of the Defense of Marriage Act
May 27. It is the 37th state to prohibit gay marriage. Nebraska amended its
constitution to prohibit gay marriage. The ACLU filed suit May 28 to overturn that
change, saying it discriminates against gays and lesbians. It is seeking 'nothing
more—nothing less—than a level playing field' for all.
Catholic bishops in Massachusetts are weighing in with a letter to their priests to
include in their church bulletin a statement supporting passage of that state's
DOMA, and ways that parishioners might contact their state representatives. The
four bishops had largely avoided involvement in this political issue until now. The
letter has drawn mixed reaction.
A New Hampshire poll released May 24 showed 54% favored issuing marriage
licenses to same-sex couples. The University of New Hampshire Survey Center
conducted the poll of 509 adults in April. It found that women were more supportive
of gay marriage than were men, and younger people were more supportive than
their elders. Catholics and Protestants were both evenly divided on the issue.