France's first gay marriage hits legal rocks


BORDEAUX, France, (AFP) - The state prosecutor in the French city of Bordeaux on Friday asked a court to nullify France's first gay wedding last week that a mayor carried out in defiance of warnings from authorities.

Officials said the chief judge of the Bordeaux court would soon fix a date to hear the matter, and that he would order the shopkeeper and male nurse who married to appear.

Bertrand Charpentier, 31, and Stephane Chapin, 34, were wedded in a ceremony in the Bordeaux suburb of Begles on June 5 by the local mayor, Noel Mamere, who is also a leading figure in the opposition Green party.


They have vowed to take their case before the European Court of Human Rights if the marriage is declared invalid, as the conservative government has threatened.


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NY Judge Finds Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Unconstitutional
New York Lawyer
June 11, 2004
By Tom Perrotta
New York Law Journal

A town justice yesterday dismissed a criminal prosecution against the mayor of New Paltz, who married gay couples without marriage licenses, saying a state law banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

The ruling from New Paltz Town Justice Jonathan D. Katz marked the first time a New York court has found that the marriage law violates the rights of gay couples. The judge's opinion does not, however, have the effect of invalidating the statute or giving gay couples an immediate opportunity to wed.

"I am familiar with the arguments raised in the cases from other states addressing this issue and I understand the historical, cultural and religious opposition to same-sex marriage, but find that none of the reasons stated in opposition to same-sex marriage is paramount to the equal protection guarantees enshrined in the state and federal constitutions," Justice Katz wrote in People v. West, 04030054.

Justice Katz's ruling comes in the same week as another ruling in a civil case involving New Paltz Mayor Jason West, who married numerous couples in February even though the New Paltz town clerk would not issue them marriage licenses.


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Activists urging Virginia boycott over anti-gay law
By JUSTIN BERGMAN
Associated Press Writer
Published June 11, 2004

RICHMOND, Va. -- Gay activists have launched a Web site to stage an economic boycott of Virginia in response to a new law that could nullify partnership contracts between same-sex couples.

VirginiaisforHaters.org urges people not to buy products or services from Virginia-based companies and suggests tourists visit states that are friendlier to gays. The name is a play on the state's tourism motto, "Virginia is for Lovers."

Another group, Make Love Legal, is developing strategies for boycotting the 400th anniversary celebration of the founding of Jamestown in 2007. The state is expecting millions of visitors for the yearlong event.

"This whole idea is: Don't spend your money in a place where people hurt you," said Diane Horvath, a Richmond attorney who is spearheading the Jamestown initiative. "My family wanted to come to Jamestown and I said under no circumstances will I plan another vacation in this state until this state wants me here."