this is a very sad day indeed...


Arizona Senate Signals Support for Gay Marriage Proposal
PHOENIX (AP) -- The Arizona Senate signaled its support for a proposal Thursday to urge Congress to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Even though state law already outlaws same-sex marriages, supporters said the nonbinding measure would further protect the sanctity of families by helping prevent judges from overturning the prohibition. Opponents said the measure treats gays differently from heterosexuals and that its backers are pandering to the religious right in an election year.

   The Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday to the proposal in a 15-10 vote. The measure, which cleared the state House earlier this month, still faces a formal vote in the Senate.

   If approved by the Legislature, it wouldn't go to Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano for her signature.

   The debate turned rancorous after a supporter of the resolution said homosexuality is an unhealthy lifestyle and cited statistics about the rate of sexually transmitted diseases among gay men.

   Republican Sen. Mark Anderson of Mesa, a supporter of the proposal, also said he worries gay marriage would eventually lead to the teaching of homosexuality in schools.

   "Since that will be on an equal level legally and morally as regular marriage, there will be no basis to not teach it," Anderson said. "In fact, it will certainly be required."
  Democratic Sen. Ken Cheuvront of Phoenix, who is openly gay, said he is hurt by the proposal's treatment of gays as second-class citizens.



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AG: SF officials violated separation of powers in gay marriages
LISA LEFF
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - Attorney General Bill Lockyer told the California Supreme Court Thursday that in issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, San Francisco authorities violated the separation of powers doctrine by assuming for themselves "more power than the Gov., or the Supreme Court, or the Legislature."

In a 29-page brief submitted at the court's request, Lockyer rejected the city's argument that local officials were obligated to grant the licenses because the California Constitution forbids discrimination. State law "controls every aspect of marriage, leaving nothing to the discretion of local government" he argued, while under the American system of government, only the judiciary can determine a law's constitutionality. "The foundation of our constitutional structure consists of a separation of powers and a system of checks and balances," Lockyer's staff wrote. "Respondents purport to be defenders of the Constitution, yet they ignore these most fundamental concepts."


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Congressman Calls For Removal of Book Promoting Same-Sex Marriage From Elementary Schools
By Melanie Hunter
CNSNews.com Deputy Managing Editor
March 25, 2004
(CNSNews.com) - A North Carolina congressman is calling on the state's schools superintendent to remove a book from elementary schools that promotes homosexual "marriage." The book, "King and King," an illustrated children's book by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland which has been available in some North Carolina elementary schools, presents two men marrying each other as a valid lifestyle choice. "Since local boards of education may not adopt library book procurement rules that are inconsistent with policies of the State Board of Education," Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.) wrote in a letter to North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Ward, "the fact that this book - aimed at validating a view of marriage that is inconsistent with North Carolina law - is in an elementary school library is indicative of a larger problem.


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New Paltz Mayor Committed to Continuing Weddings
By Christopher Curtis
Several high-profile speakers shared their reasons why they are fighting for GLBT rights at last Saturday’s Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Houston, but only one guest is facing criminal charges for what he has done.

Jason West seems like an unlikely fighter for the GLBT cause. He is straight, 26-years-old, paints houses and works as a puppeteer when not serving as the Green Party mayor of New Paltz, New York. Before the event started the boyish-looking official seemed more like a poster child for an L.L. Bean catalogue with his khakis and plaid shirt. But West has put his political career on the line, facing a lawsuit from Christian conservatives and 19 misdemeanors for marrying 25 same-sex couples in February—which doesn’t seem to bother him a bit. “The misdemeanor is the exact equivalent to driving over 20 miles over the speed limit,” he shrugged. “So it’s a minor charge.”