Second New York mayor to marry same-sex couples
A second New York State mayor said Wednesday that he will start marrying gay couples and plans to seek a license himself to marry his same-sex partner. Nyack mayor John Shields will join the New Paltz mayor, Jason West, in issuing the licenses. West vowed to go ahead with up to two dozen same-sex weddings this weekend, despite having been charged with 19 criminal counts and possibly facing jail time for marrying same-sex couples. Shields said he will start officiating at weddings of same-sex couples as early as this week and planned to join other gay New Yorkers in visiting municipal clerks' offices Friday seeking marriage licenses.





President Bush is trashing the Constitution
Justin Deabler is a lawyer in New York City, but he may be better known to millions of TV viewers as a Hawaii cast member of MTV’s The Real World. Like most gay men and lesbians, he is furious that the president and conservative lawmakers are backing the Federal Marriage Amendment. To him, the president is trashing the country’s most precious document for short-term political gain
By Justin Deabler
An Advocate.com exclusive posted March 2, 2004
The U.S. Constitution is renowned for its unflinching, perfect brevity. It is one of the shortest such documents of any nation, focusing on the protections of people’s liberty and putting limits on the power of the state. Through our history its amendments have been chosen to expand freedoms and destroy class-based distinctions and deprivations. On the one occasion when our country deviated from this pattern--by restricting a freedom of its citizens via the prohibition constitutional amendment, which banned alcohol—the experiment proved terribly wrong and we took it back.
http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/910/910_amendment.asp




Federal Judge Turns Down Gay Students
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: March 3, 2004 5:02 p.m. ET
(Lubbock, Texas) A federal judge has ruled that a Texas school district that refused to allow a Gay Straight Alliance to meet on school property did not violate the student's rights.
The Alliance went to court in July after the group was told it could not meet, post meeting notices or in any way promote itself in the Lubbock Independent School District.

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Gay Marriages Nixed In Chicago
by Steph Smith
365Gay.com Newscenter
Chicago Bureau
Posted: March 3, 2004 11:06 a.m. ET
(Chicago, Illinois) Same-sex couples in Cook County won't be getting married anytime soon. County Clerk David Orr has announced that his office will not issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples despite his support for same-sex marriage.


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Montgomery County Will Prosecute Attempted Gay Marriages
District Attorney Threatens Criminal Actions
POSTED: 10:56 am EST March 3, 2004
Although no gay couples have sought a marriage license in Montgomery County, District Attorney Bruce Castor has threatened to file criminal charges against anyone involved in such a union.
Castor is running for state attorney general, and he released a letter Tuesday to Register of Wills Frances Pierce saying her office "would potentially face criminal liability" if it were to issue a marriage license to a gay or lesbian couple.