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| Ohio state Sen. C.J. Prentiss (D-Cleveland) fought to add bereavement benefits
for gay couples back into the state’s Defense of Marriage Act, but says
she was shocked that her colleagues would not support the move.
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HOME > NEWS > NATIONAL NEWS
By: JOE CREA
COMMENTS
In the aftermath of President Bush’s State of the Union address, in which
he strongly hinted at support of a constitutional amendment on gay marriage,
15 state legislatures around the country have begun debating sweeping bans
on recognition of gay unions, while a smaller number of states are weighing
pro-gay measures aimed at stopping the rush to amend.
A bill blocking state recognition of gay marriage and barring state workers
from receiving partner benefits passed the Ohio Senate last week and is likely
to be signed by the state’s Republican governor. Meanwhile, legislators in
Indiana and Arizona succeeded in blocking bills that sought to amend their
state constitutions to ban same-sex marriage.
While the Ohio bill is intended to prevent the state from recognizing a gay
marriage performed in another state, the bill strongly notes, “specific statutory
benefits of marriage” are against the “strong public policy of the state.”
State Sen. C.J. Prentiss (D-Cleveland), who voted against the measure, called
the bill “the most draconian violation of many rights” and tried to add a bereavement
amendment to the measure at the last minute that was eventually tabled.
“Since I believe that everyone is human, has a heart, can cry, I thought my
colleagues would have said ‘yes’ to the bereavement bill and not expose their
homophobic feelings, but I was wrong,” Prentiss said.
The controversial measure, House Bill 272, dubbed the Defense of Marriage
Act by supporters and the Denial of Benefits Act by opponents, has Ohio leaders
divided.
Auditor Betty Montgomery, a moderate Republican who wants to be Ohio’s next
governor in 2006 supports the state’s new measure while Attorney General Jim
Petro, another Republican gubernatorial contender, opposes the bill calling
it “a little too broad” adding that “binding unions” between gay couples should
be afforded some protections.
“I don’t think it should be against the strong public policy of the state
to show respect and a little bit of tolerance for all people, and that may
include people who make a strong commitment to one another and who happen to
be of the same gender,” Petro told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Petro did not return Blade calls seeking comment.
Orest Holubec, a spokesperson for Republican Gov. Bob Taft, said the governor
is prepared to sign the measure into law.
Prentiss noted that the private sector is expressing concern that one of the
country’s most far-reaching gay marriage bans could hurt their bottom line.
Patrick Guerriero, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, strongly
condemned the actions taken by the Ohio Legislature and again criticized Bush’s
State of the Union remarks in which the Republican president assailed “activist
judges.”
“I think more damaging than the exact wording, was the signal [the president’s
remarks] sent to legislators around the country,” Guerriero said. “We knew
that legislative leaders had been holding back from pushing forward with any
legislation and sadly, within hours of the president’s speech, we saw the most
onerous of them pass the Ohio Senate.
“We now have places like Ohio turning back the clock not just on gay marriage
but on basic civil rights for gay and lesbian Americans.”
When signed by Gov. Taft, Ohio will become the 38th state to pass some sort
of DOMA measure.
State legislators are scrambling to respond to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial
Court ruling last November mandating that state offer marriage benefits to
gay couples, setting off a heated national debate over a proposed amendment
to the U.S. Constitution that would define marriage as the union of one man
and one woman.
“I really do believe that all this state activity is due to a very well-coordinated
campaign to exploit the marriage issue in the 2004 elections,” said Matt Foreman,
executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force.
“It’s no coincidence that these are being launched in key battle ground states:
Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin,” Foreman said, citing the expected role
those states would play in this year’s presidential election. “I believe that
this is part of the right-wing forces in the country, which now sadly dominate
the Republican Party. It’s a ‘brilliant’ and consistent use of wedge issues
in society to advance a very base political interest.”
Fifteen states, many of them with DOMA laws already on the books, are weighing
anti-gay marriage ballot measures this year. And at least seven states are
proposing new measures that would prevent gay marriage through a state constitutional
amendment.
Constitutional amendments have been introduced in Georgia, Oklahoma, Kentucky
and Michigan; one is expected soon ...
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