PHOENIX - Thousands of same-sex couples have married in California, Oregon and New York in recent months, producing court cases centering on one of the hottest social issues in the country.

But even before that, the same issue was already in Arizona's state court system because of a same-sex Phoenix couple's desire to formalize their union, something they're denied under current state law.

Though many of the people who got married in places like San Francisco were from outside California, Don Standhardt and Todd Keltner said that wasn't for them.
"We're Arizonans," Standhardt said. "That's why we're doing our case in Arizona."
Said Keltner: "We're rooted here. We want to have our (adopted) children here."
The 34-year-old Standhardt and the 37-year-old Keltner asked the Arizona Supreme Court on Dec. 8 to review a Court of Appeals decision that upheld Arizona's 8-year-old state law prohibiting same-sex marriages.

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Petition drive to get marriage amendment on Nov. ballot has begun
Coalition for a Fair Michigan vows to fight effort
By D'Anne Witkowski
Originally printed 4/15/2004 (Issue 1216 )
LANSING - A group calling itself Citizens for the Protection of Marriage has begun circulating petitions to get the anti-gay marriage amendment proposal on the Nov. 2004 ballot.

In order to be successful they would need at least 317,757 valid signatures by July 6.

The Associated Press reported that the Board of State Canvassers has not yet approved the petition form, though Secretary of State officials have reviewed the petition. The group is sure the petitions will be approved.
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Penn. Supremes Hear Benefits Case
Wednesday, April 14th 2004
PHILADELPHIA -- Justices serving on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court were told Tuesday that the city of Philadelphia acted illegally when it extended benefits to registered life partners of public employees.

William Devlin, an evangelical Christian activist who runs the Urban Family Council, sued the city over a 1998 bill that grants benefits to registered "life partners" of public employees and also exempts such couples from discrimination and from paying property-transfer tax on sales to their partners.

Upheld by Common Pleas Court in 2000, the Philadelphia law was struck down by Commonwealth Court in 2002. The state Supreme Court agreed late last fall to hear the city's appeal.

Devlin's attorney, Dennis Abrams, argued that the city had overstepped its legal authority in creating life-partnership status. He maintained that only the state had the right to define marriage and that because the benefits provided by Philadelphia's law depend on a couple's having registered as life-partners, the benefits are improper.