Voters to decide gay marriage ban

By By Terry R. Cassreino / assistant managing editor
April 10, 2004
JACKSON Mississippi voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to include a ban on same-sex marriages and prohibit recognition of gay unions performed in other states.
State senators gave final approval this week to a proposed constitutional amendment sending the issue to the voters so they can ratify or reject the amendment in the Nov. 2 general election.
Mississippi has banned same-sex marriages by law since 1997. Supporters of a constitutional amendment say it would protect the existing state law if there are court challenges.
The same-sex constitutional amendment will appear on the ballot the same day Mississippians head to the polls to cast their vote for president, members of Congress and some judges.
State legislators in Georgia also have placed an anti-gay marriage amendment on that state's Nov. 2 ballot. And President Bush has proposed a U.S. Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage.
The issue gained national momentum when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom authorized city officials to start issuing same-sex marriage licenses earlier this year.
Nearly 4,000 couples were married in the city between Feb. 12 and March 11, when the California Supreme Court suspended the policy pending legal challenges.
In the Mississippi Legislature, state Rep. Eric Robinson, R-Quitman, said he believes a state constitutional ban is necessary.
Robinson said more constituents have contacted him about the anti-gay marriage amendment than any other issue since he took office in 1993. He said he believes gay marriage is abhorrent and sinful.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. The resolution is House Concurrent Resolution 56. You can obtain a copy of the resolution by visiting the Mississippi Legislature's Bill Status Web site at http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us.