Bill to ban gay marriages dies on final night in Legislature
By BOB JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer

The Alabama Legislature ended its 2004 regular session Monday night without voting on a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages in Alabama.
The gay marriages legislation was one of several bills aimed at improving the state's moral compass that died Monday when the House spent the final day dealing mostly with the General Fund budget and taxes to balance the spending plan.

The constitutional amendment, which would have required approval by Alabama voters, would have defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. In a poll before the start of the session, most legislators had said they would support the proposal, but a political fight broke out during the session over whether to hold the referendum during the presidential election in November or during primaries in 2006.


~

Elementary school students witness gay marriages

Northampton, Massachusetts-AP -- A different sort of educational experience for a group of fourth- through sixth-graders in Northampton, Massachusetts.
The students from the Solomon Schechter Day School went to Town Hall today to witness the first day of legal gay and lesbian marriages in Massachusetts.

The students have been studying the civil rights movement. One of their teachers said today's proceedings offered a chance to see a bit of history in the making.

Among those applying for their marriage licenses were several sets of parents from the school.

The kids cheered as couples emerged from City Hall with their documents in hand.


~

NOW Celebrates Landmark in Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage Rights
 
WASHINGTON - May 17 - Today, Massachusetts takes a bold step toward equality for lesbians and gay men, as it becomes the first state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

"NOW leaders and members are overjoyed that thousands of committed couples will now be able to form legal families protected under law in Massachusetts," said NOW President Kim Gandy. "Same-sex couples deserve the same marriage rights granted to opposite-sex couples, and NOW applauds the Massachusetts Supreme Court for recognizing that fact."

Last November, and again in February, the Massachusetts court determined that the equal protection clause of the Massachusetts Constitution called for full-fledged marriage rights--and nothing less--for same-sex couples.

"However, progress cannot stop at the Massachusetts borders," said Gandy. "Same-sex couples in all 50 states and the District of Columbia must be allowed to share in the rights and responsibilities available to opposite-sex couples. And full federal and state benefits must be extended to the millions of lesbian and gay couples who wish to marry."


~

Bid To Repeal New Mexico Gay Civil Rights Law Derails
by Barry Massey
The Associated Press

(Santa Fe, New Mexico)  New Mexico's gay rights law is not subject to a referendum to repeal it, Attorney General Patricia Madrid said in a legal opinion that undermined an effort to force the issue onto the November general election ballot.

A petition drive is under way to try to require a vote to annul the anti-discrimination protections enacted in 2003. However, the attorney general's opinion likely derails that effort unless a court rules otherwise.

Lawmakers in 2003 amended the state's Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination in housing, employment and other areas based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It was amended this year to correct a flaw in the 2003 version.

Opponents have been gathering signatures to try to force the issue onto the ballot and give New Mexicans a chance to decide whether to repeal the gay rights law.