Gay Marriage Ban is Costing San Francisco $15 Mil
Paul Adam Haber

Gay marriage rights advocates and the city of San Francisco last week began opening arguments to persuade a California court that denying same-sex couples the ability to marry violates the state's constitution, and is costing San Francisco upwards of $15 million in lost revenue and social services payouts.

Last month, the Supreme Court voided the nearly 4,000 same-sex marriages that were sanctioned in the city before it intervened, ruling that local officials lacked the authority to contravene state law.

Now, proponents of marriage rights are seeking to have those laws overturned on constitutional grounds, a process that must begin in Superior Court and is expected to percolate back up to the California Supreme Court in about a year.

Arguing Thursday before a San Francisco Superior Court, lawyers representing 12 same-sex couples and the city said laws prohibiting same-sex marriages violate the Constitution's due process, privacy, free expression and equal-protection provisions. The city is also arguing that the marriage laws interfere with constitutional rights to liberty, privacy and equality.


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ANTI-GAY CHURCH THREATENS NON-PROFIT STATUS
by: Michael Wilhoit & Beth Maple-Bays, Out & About Newspaper


An East Tennessee church may have threatened its non-profit status by actively involving itself and its' members in the politics surrounding the debate over marriage.

As members of Manley Baptist Church of Morristown prepare to head to Washington for an October 15 rally for the Federal Marriage Amendment, concerns are being raised regarding church participation in the rally, potentially threatening their tax-exempt 501(c)3 status. As a nonprofit organization, the church must adhere to federal tax laws to retain that status.
IRS regulations prohibit churches from involvement in influencing legislation.

A posting on the church's website, which is labeled as "MayDay for Marriage", appears to be encouraging church members to actively try to influence pending legislation.

"Because of the recent legalization of homosexual marriages, our President has asked for a Constitutional amendment for marriage to be between a man and a woman," The site reads. "October 15 has been set aside for people to rally at the D.C. Mall. The purpose? To petition Congress to pass legislature for this to happen."