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06-20-2005, 06:23 PM
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Gay Arizona Group May Launch Amendment Drive To Ban Same-Sex Marriage
In a bold move a gay rights group has organized to consider a drive to collect enough signatures to place a measure on the ballot to ban same-sex marriage but allow civil unions.
The aim is to provide an alternative to a proposed amendment already heading to voters to ban both marriage and any form of recognition of gay and lesbian couples. The project is the being organized by a coalition formed by Steve May the former co-chairman of the Arizona Human Rights Fund. May said that he hopes enough votes are siphoned off the amendment proposed by Protect Marriage Arizona that both measures fail. His worst case scenario is that his group's counter amendment passes and at least gives same-sex couples some level of comfort in the state. May said that he believes most Arizonans would support granting gay and lesbian couples rights in areas such as health care decision-making, hospital visitation and handling of estates. His proposed amendment also would require that both partners' incomes be considered if one is applying for welfare and make both partners responsible for children of one of them, he said. May's proposed amendment would also include non gay non married couples. May's idea comes as Protect Marriage Arizona continues to collect enough names to put its sweeping gay relationship ban on the ballot. Arizona already has a Defense of Marriage Act barring gays from marrying. Protect Marriage Arizona and Republican lawmakers say they fear a judge could strike down the law. The group also says that providing benefits to domestic partners is marriage but without the name. It has until July 6, 2006 to collect the required signatures of 183,917 registered votes to put the measure on the November 2006 ballot. Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano disappointed the state's biggest LGBT group on the weekend when she failed to condemn the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Napolitano was the keynote speaker at the Arizona Human Rights Fund's annual fundraiser in Phoenix. While speaker after speaker condemned amending the state constitution to ban gay marriage Napolitano carefully avoided any mention of the issue. During her first year in office, Napolitano received criticism after using the banquet to announce an executive order banning employment discrimination against gays and lesbians at state agencies under her control. Despite her opposition to same-sex marriage the group hoped she would attack amending the state constitution. |
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