| Show We Have No Right to Discriminate Chelsey Jones Jones' Contributing Writer Throughout the nation and Mexico thousands of pf same sex couples are fighting fighting fight fight- ing for their rights and state by state they are being heard gay Anti-gay and lesbian protestors strongly believe that marriage within the same sex is morally and distastefully wrong It has been made clear that this controversy has America riled up and ready for a fight So far more than sex same-sex couples have wed in San Francisco since Mayor Gavin Newsom decided weeks ago to allow gay marriage Newsom and city attorneys say the state constitution guarantees sex same-sex couples couples couples cou cou- ples the same rights as het het- het- het The first s sex same weddings on the east coast began Friday Friday February 27 2004 as a dozen sex same-sex couples lined up on the steps of the village hall in New Paltz a small town about 75 miles north of New York Cit City Village Mayor Jason West announced the day before he would perform the cere cere- monies West stated during an interview We as a society have no right to discriminate in marriage any more more than we have the toe right to discriminate nate when someone votes or when someone wants to hold office The people who would forbid gays from marrying in this country are those who would have made Rosa Parks sit in the back of the thebus bus New York state has no law forbidding sex same-sex marriage but a so-called so defense of marriage act actis is currently before the Assembly In the past the state has said that same- same sex marriage is not permitted permit permit- ted since no law specifically 1 ly allows it There are sex same couples livin living in the same household household household house house- hold in m New York State according to the 2000 US U.S. Census From coast to coast states such as California 1 Oregon and Massachusetts have already passed the law permitting sex same-sex couples couples' to receive marriage marriage marriage mar mar- licenses Others such as Georgia Arizona and Indiana proposed constitutional amendments that would ban gay marriage arriage Even in instates instates instates states with existing Defense of Marriage acts at least nine states are pushing for new more extreme measures by amending their constitutions constitutions to specify th that t marriage mar mar- must be heterosexual President Bush endorsed a constitutional amendment Tuesday February 24 2004 that would restrict marriage manage to two pe people of the opposite sex but leave open the toe possibility possibility possibility pos pos- pos pos- that states could allow civil unions He did not sign onto a specific bill but called on Congress to pass and send to the states for ratification n nan an amendment defining and protecting marriage as asa asa asa a union umon of a man and woman as husband and wife But amending the Constitution is difficult requiring a two-thirds two majority each in the House and Senate and ratification by three fourths fourths e-fourths or 38 of the 50 states The Massachusetts highest court removed the thelast thelast thelast last barrier on gay marriage marria marriage mar mar- ria a Wednesday February 4 2004 and insisted same sex couples be treated like humans According to Chicago's Mayor Daley He has no problem letting sex same-sex couples marry They're your doctors your lawyers your journalists and your politicians They're everywhere A devout Catholic Daley scoffed at the suggestion that gay marriage would somehow undermine the institution of marriage between a man and a woman noted at a news conference Marriage has been undermined by divorce gay Anti-gay protesters should look clook at their own lives and look into the mirror dont blame the gay and lesbian trans gender and transsexual al community for ruining ruining ruining ruin ing the holiness of marriage marriage marriage mar mar- Mayor Daley stated during the same news con con- ference Throughout Americas America's history people have been discriminated for the color of their skin religion ethnic ethnic ethnic eth eth- eth- eth nic group and now because of their sexual orientation The government has passed laws racism but cant can't pass a law eliminating discrimination discrimination discrimination nation against sex same-sex couples This concept has outraged many rights gay-rights activists Some people have a difference of opinion that only a man and ana a woman can get married But in the thelong thelong thelong long run we have to understand what they're saying They sex same-sex couples love each other just as much as anyone else stated freshman freshman freshman fresh fresh- man name held by request Rosie ODonnell O'Donnell and longtime partner Kelli Carpenter ODonnell O'Donnell swept into San Francisco to marry the highest profile lesbian coupe couple coupe to take advantage of the city's decision to allow sex same-sex couples to marry I would like to thank the city of ofSan ofSan ofSan San Francisco and the Mayor of San Francisco for making this available to all those law abiding loving couples Rosie said before heading up the steps The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force is elated that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has affirmed the right of gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil marriage Since its inception inception tion the Vermont Freedom Freedm to Marry Many Task Force has been committed to full and equal legal rights for gay and lesbian Vermonters including in particular the legal right right to marry Carl Schurz abolitionist soldier soldier sol sol- sol sol- dier statesman and writer said If you want to be fr free e there is but one way it is IS to guarantee an equally equal equal- ly full measure of liberty to all your neighbors There is no over other If it were only that easy But as we we all know that freedom and equality for all has always been a fight This will be another battle in in the continuing war on equality |
