Enemies of the states: as part of a national right-wing get-out-the-vote effort, an unprecedented number of state-level marriage bans will go before voters on November 2 and are expected to pass. Are we losing the battle for equality?(Campaign 2004)

Publication: The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine)

Publication Date: 26-OCT-04

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COPYRIGHT 2004 Liberation Publications, Inc.

Several days after Hurricane Ivan slammed into the state, Louisiana voters turned out to slam marriage rights for same sex couples. During a special election on September 18, 78% of residents voted to approve a state constitutional amendment that not only bans same-sex marriage but could also be used to prohibit civil unions.

The vote was the second of its kind this election year, following one on August 3 in Missouri in which 71% of voters approved changing that state's constitution to prohibit same sex marriage. Missouri and Louisiana we only the beginning in what may eventually be known as the year of the marriage ban. Spurred by the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts and the issuance of marriage licenses to gay couples by mayors and county clerks across the country, as many as 11 states will put similar measures before voters on November 2, seeking to change their state constitutions to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Ohio, Oregon, North Dakota, and Utah. Several of the proposals also seek to ban all...

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