HRC: Far-Reaching Kansas Amendment is Bad for Families
‘The harm done to thousands of Kansas families is incalculable,’ said HRC President Joe Solmonese.
The Human Rights Campaign today condemned the passage of a state constitutional amendment in Kansas that defines marriage as solely between a man and a woman — denying same-sex couples the rights and protections of marriage and possibly even civil unions and other protections. Kansas now becomes the 17th state to explicitly amend its state constitution to ban marriage rights for same-sex couples.“The harm done to thousands of Kansas families is incalculable,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “As voters come to understand the real consequences of this amendment, we hope they understand how wrong this amendment is.”
Of the 11 states that passed constitutional marriage amendments last November, three of them — Michigan, Utah and Ohio — are facing complicated issues ranging from whether or not the amendments strip away a state’s ability to grant domestic partner benefits to employees, or if the state can even intervene in domestic violence disputes between unmarried couples.
“These amendments are bad news for everyone, not just same-sex couples,” said Solmonese. “In some cases, they have even inhibited a state’s ability to fight domestic violence between straight, unmarried couples.”
Exit polls last November showed that roughly 60 percent of the voters support marriage, civil unions or some other form of relationship protections. In 2004, 13 state constitutional amendments were passed into law, while 15 other measures were defeated.
“The assistance from HRC was vital to the long-term efforts of Kansans for Fairness as well as this short term fight,” said Braidy O’Neal, the campaign manager for Kansans for Fairness. “While we may have lost at the ballot box today, HRC has helped us win at the water coolers, the church pews and in our neighborhoods.”
“While this is a sad day for Americans who value equal rights, we know that in the long run, the people of this nation always side with fairness, and there will come a day when all the families and couples of this nation are treated equally,” said Solmonese.
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that LGBT Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, April 06, 2005 at 8:57 AM.
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BySorry but having a majority of voters voting for the normal male-female marriage is not a hate crime. It is called democracy.
Do I hate gays? No - I have friends that are gay. These friends are also against gays trying to force their lifestyle into straight marriage - they simply want the same rights as married people. They tell me that having a "normal" marriage license is not the focus.
No matter how much you try to be accepted as "normal" you will never be. If someday gays do get "marriage" licenses they will never be normal licenses nor will having them make you any more normal. You made a lifestyle choice and should accept it instead of trying to force it down the throats of others - it just generates hate and negative publicity for your cause - at least that's what my gay friends tell me.
By
how many of your gay friends tell you they're making a lifestyle choice, maddie?
What will prevent same sex marriage licenses from being normal licenses, and how is wanting marriage rights not "simply wanting the same rights as married people?"
BHB, I covered Kansas as well as recent doings in Cali, Washington and Oregon last night at:
http://alsoalso.typepad.com/also_also/2005/04/samesex_marriag.html
TJ
By
Hmmm...column cut me off.
put the following two lines together:
http://alsoalso.typepad.com/also_also/
2005/04/samesex_marriag.html
By
Maddie - are you fucking kidding me? Your friends must be incredibly self-loathing fags.
You make me laugh... more in a I feel very sorry for you sort of way. Do you talk to your "gay friends" the same way you talk in your comments here?
Let me deconstuct you point by point.
1.) Hate crime? Not a hate crime. Just a severe injustice and act of true inequality.
2.) Do you hate gays? You say you don't although everything you are saying seems to point to the fact that you must.
3.) Full equality for all citizens living in this country is an absolute must. Do you not belive that you and I should have the same rights? A "normal" marriage license is the focus at this point. Full equality is our final goal. This is just one step in that direction.
4.) I consider myself and other gays and lesbians incredibly normal. In fact, your by the looks of your completely ignorant statements here, I would say that you have some issues yourself. Disinformed may be a more appropriate word to describe you.
5.) "Lifestyle Choice"... You should ask your gay friends when they "made the choice" to be gay. It's simply bullshit to assume that the collective we, made a choice. I ask you this... When in your life did you choose to be straight? Did you have a time when you were like 'Oh hey maybe I'll be gay". I sincerely doubt it.
6.) To go back to your first comment about the majority/democracy. Yes, you are right. I ask you this, did 'my' side of this debate bring it to the ballot? NO. We would NOT leave it in the hands of the voters to decide. Though it has come to that and the religious right has brought it to the ballot. This is where the balance of power comes into play. The legislature and the courts. Eventually we will have equal rights. In some states it could be a year from now, in others 20 years from now.
I would say that 'your side' - the side that feels that gays and lesbians should in fact be treated as second class citizens is forcing your own agenda, a religious based agenda down the throats of others.
In closing - we are demanding equal protection under the law. "at least that is what my gay friends tell me".
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