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.