The struggles that lie ahead
Turn up the heat for gay marriage
By Elizabeth Schulte

A COMMITTEE of the California State Assembly voted 8 to 3 April 20 to approve legislation that would amend the state family code to define marriage as between "two persons" instead of between a man and woman.

This is the first time that a state legislative body has voted in favor of a law that would legalize marriage for gays and lesbians. Nearly 14 years ago, a gay marriage bill introduced in the California legislature died without so much as a vote. But a wave of gay and lesbian marriages in San Francisco, New York and Oregon--in defiance of state laws--and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s decision overturning a ban on same-sex marriage have forced the issuing into the national spotlight. More than 4,000 same-sex couples got married in San Francisco beginning February 12 before state officials forced an end in early March.

The committee vote on the new legislation is a victory for gay rights activists, but the bill has a long way to go before it becomes law.

Meanwhile, an Oregon judge has ordered Multnomah County officials to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. But at the same time, the judge ordered authorities to recognize 3,000 licenses that had already been issued.
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Police chiefs have a diverse strategy to iron out prejudices
LUCY ADAMS, Home Affairs Correspondent
SCOTTISH police forces are to try to combat the scourge of prejudice by recording all crimes of hatred for the first time. The police diversity strategy – to be launched tomorrow – also will encourage forces to recruit more officers from under-represented groups including lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) and disabled people.

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Study: Murder Rate for Gays and Lesbians Triples
CBS5.com Staff
Bay Area murders of gay, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people tripled in 2003, according to a new report.

The Community United Against Violence says the rate went from just two murders in 2002 to up to six in 2003. But the overall rate of other hate-related violence against gays actually dropped, the study said. There were 357 reported incidents in 2002, but in 2003 there were 317.
The study did not find any increase in hate crimes linked to the growing legal and political debate over gay marriages.