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MARRIAGE DIGEST: Kerry now says he’d oppose Mo. amend.


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Clarifying comments he made in August, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said in an interview published Sept. 16 he would have voted against Missouri’s constitutional marriage amendment.

The amendment passed by 71 percent of the vote in early August, and Kerry subsequently said he would have voted for it — even though it bans Vermont-style civil unions, which he supports.

Kerry now says that at the time, he believed the Missouri amendment banned only same-sex “marriage” and left the civil unions issue untouched. In an interview with the homosexual newspaper Between the Lines, Kerry said he’d be “inconsistent” if he supported it.

“I am for civil unions, and therefore, I would not have voted for that had I been there,” he said. “… I just didn’t know it went as far as it did, and, obviously, I don’t support it.”

Kerry supports the Massachusetts marriage amendment, which bans same-sex “marriage” while creating civil unions. That amendment has passed one session of the Massachusetts legislature and must pass again before going to voters. Kerry, though, opposes a marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

On another issue, Kerry said he would push for civil unions if elected president — a position that likely would result in much controversy in Congress.

“You have to fight for it,” Kerry said. “You have to introduce it.”

The interview was conducted Sept. 9 during a stop in Des Moines, Iowa. A second interview, with the homosexual magazine Advocate, has yet to be published.

LA. AMENDMENT VOTE — Louisianans go to the polls Sept. 18 to vote on a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex “marriage” and Vermont-style civil unions. The amendment is expected to pass easily, and supporters are watching closely to see if it will approach the level of support seen in Missouri, where that state’s amendment passed with 71 percent of the vote.

Assuming it passes, the amendment likely will face opposition in court. According to Louisiana law, opponents have a brief window of opportunity to challenge amendments once they pass.

MICH. AMENDMENT LOSING? — A constitutional marriage amendment in Michigan may have a surprising level of opposition, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll. The poll of 631 likely voters, conducted Sept. 10-13, found that 51 percent oppose the amendment, 45 percent support it.

The results stand in contrast to a July EPIC/MRA poll that showed 61 percent of Michigan residents supporting it, 34 percent opposing.

The amendment will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot. As many as 11 states could vote on marriage amendments that day.

FIRST CANADIAN DIVORCE — The first same-sex “divorce” has been granted in Canada as a result of a ruling by a judge there. The case involved two lesbians who were married in Ontario shortly after an Ontario court legalized same-sex “marriage” last summer. But after only five days, the two women separated, The Toronto Star reported.

Although they wanted a “divorce,” Canadian law stood in the way. The national divorce law defines a spouse as “either of a man or a woman who are married to each other.” Justice Ruth Mesbur of the Superior Court of Justice declared the law “unconstitutional” and “inoperative.”

LAWSUIT IN GA. — Opponents of a constitutional marriage amendment in Georgia filed a lawsuit Sept. 16 to keep it off the Nov. 2 ballot. The lawsuit was filed by the Georgia American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Lambda Legal, two groups that say the ballot question is “deceptive” and unconstitutional. The groups say it is unconstitutional because it deals with more than one subject — for instance, it bans both same-sex “marriage” and Vermont-style civil unions.

Having lost in Missouri, marriage amendment opponents are filing legal challenges in several states — including Arkansas, Oklahoma and Ohio — to keep amendments off the ballot. Another lawsuit, in Louisiana, failed.

OPPOSITION IN PORTLAND — Oregon citizens have yet to vote on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex “marriage,” but the Portland City Council has gone on record opposing it. Council members voted unanimously Sept. 15 to oppose the amendment, which will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot.

“We must send the message today that civil rights are not negotiable,” Commissioner Randy Leonard said, according to The Oregonian.

The vote was not a surprise — earlier this year Multnomah County, where Portland is located, issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples before being stopped by a court order.

SENATOR BARNEY FRANK? — If Democrat John Kerry wins the presidential race, Rep. Barney Frank, D.-Mass., is expected to run for Kerry’s open Senate seat. A Frank victory would make him the first open homosexual in the U.S. Senate.

A new University of Massachusetts poll shows Frank could win the seat. In a head-to-head race with Gov. Mitt Romney, Frank leads 57-35 percent. Romney, though, has said he is not interested in the seat, The Boston Globe reported.

In the Democratic primary, Frank is favored by 29 percent of Democrats, U.S. Rep. Martin T. Meehan 20 percent.

The poll of 600 Massachusetts voters was conducted in September.
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For more information about the national debate over same-sex “marriage,” visit http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage

    About the Author

  • Michael Foust