Conn. couple fights to keep their same-sex marriage legal
By LAURA WALSH, Associated Press


MERIDEN, Conn. (AP) - Among the first things Katy Gossman and Kristin Marshall did after their May wedding in Massachusetts was change Marshall's last name to Gossman. But they are still waiting for her new driver's license to make it official.

When the lesbian couple made the trek to the Connecticut Motor Vehicle Department, the clerk was at a loss for what to do.

"He started to punch it into the computer, and then he looked at the marriage license again. He looked at us, he looked at the license," Katy said. "He said he didn't know what to do with us. They weren't saying no, but they weren't saying yes."

The Gossmans were married in Worcester, Mass., on May 20, three days after gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts. And now they are one of eight couples who have filed a lawsuit challenging a l913 Massachusetts law that has been used to block out-of-state couples from marrying there.


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Bias bill's burial brings calls for change
Panel chairs wield too much power, groups say
By PATRICK JACKSON
Dover Bureau reporter


The battle is over - for now. But the fight is sure to continue until Election Day, and the ripples may create political turbulence when the General Assembly convenes again in January.

Senate Democratic leaders declared House Bill 99 dead even before the General Assembly gathered for the final day Wednesday. The measure that would prohibit discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation had been buried in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

But Senate President Pro Tem Thurman Adams Jr., D-Bridgeville, almost overestimated his hold on his party - which holds a five-seat majority - legislators said.

Supporters of the bill were working hard as the session wound down to get senators to sign a petition that would have forced the bill out of committee and onto the floor for a vote they felt sure they would win. The House had approved the measure in June 2003


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Florida Lawyers Pledge To Fight Gay Adoption Ban 
by Jackie Hallifax
The Associated Press


(Tallahassee, Florida) Family law attorneys want to get rid of Florida's ban on gay adoptions.

By unanimous vote, the executive council of the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar has decided to push for a repeal.

"Fundamental fairness demands that healthy parents should be allowed to adopt regardless," said Evan Marks, a Miami attorney who became chairman of the section last month.

Florida is the only state in the nation with a complete ban on adoption by gays, whether single or as a couple.


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Columbus City Workers Get Partner Benefits - But At A Cost
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: July 5, 2004 5:01 pm ET

(Columbus, Ohio) The partners of gay and lesbian city workers in Columbus, Ohio are now eligible for health benefits, but only if they pay for them out of their own pockets.

Mayor Michael Coleman's administration quietly arranged to get the health insurance coverage through a private insurance company.

The move meant Coleman would not see a repeat of a nasty battle with City Council six years ago which ended in the defeat of a plan that would have been paid for by the city.

In 1998, the council unanimously passed domestic-partner benefits with two hours' notice before the vote. Two months later, after conservative religious groups threatened a citizen referendum council repealed the benefits. 


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Gay marriage opponents in Michigan target November ballot for amendment
TIM MARTIN, Associated Press Writer
LANSING, Mich. (AP) --

Supporters of a ban on gay marriage submitted nearly 500,000 signatures Monday in an effort to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

If adopted, the amendment would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Gay marriage is banned in Michigan, but opponents want stronger language to protect against potential future judicial decisions or legislative initiatives.

The group, Citizens for the Protection of Marriage, had submitted more than 475,000 signatures to state election officials. If 317,757 of the signatures are valid, the issue could be on the Nov. 2 ballot.

"The people responded," said Marlene Elwell, the group's president. "They're tired of politicians and activist judges making changes without having a voice. This gives them a voice."