House panel defeats pair of marriage bills
Measures were to prevent same-sex unions in Md.
By Kimberly A. C. Wilson
Sun Staff
Originally published March 6, 2004
In a victory for gay-rights advocates, lawmakers defeated last night two measures designed to shield Maryland's legal definition of marriage from challenges by same-sex couples. The House Judiciary Committee voted 11 to 9 to reject bills that would have bolstered existing state law that recognizes only the union of a man and a woman as a marriage.


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Same-Sex Couples Head To DMV For Name Changes
San Jose To Adopt Resolution Giving City Benefits To Couples
POSTED: 9:04 am PST March 6, 2004
SAN FRANCISCO -- Same-sex couples are doing what many people do after they get married -- they are heading to the Department of Motor Vehicles for name changes, NBC11 reported. And the DMV is recognizing the city marriage certificates as legal for the purposes of making name changes. The licenses will allow gay couples to change their name at the Social Security Administration to preserve their benefits.


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Supervisors weigh gay marriage
Wormhoudt wants board to ask county clerk to reconsider gay nuptials
By BRIAN SEALS
SENTINEL STAFF WRITER
SANTA CRUZ — The national debate over same-sex marriages is making its way to the county. Gay matrimony is on the county Board of Supervisors agenda Tuesday, as Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt plans to ask for her colleagues’ support on three fronts:

* Authorizing her, as chair of the board, to write a letter asking County Clerk Richard Bedal to change his position on gay marriage and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

* Directing county legal staff to research ways to join in the city of San Francisco’s lawsuit against the state seeking to legalize same-sex marriages.

* Passing a resolution opposing a President Bush-endorsed constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions.

Wormhoudt’s requests come in the wake of San Francisco city officials issuing more than 3,500 same-sex marriage licenses since Feb. 12. Couples seeking to get married are on a waiting list now stretching into May.