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November 09, 2006

Same-sex marriage ban rejected in Arizona in historic first

Same-sex marriage ban rejected in Arizona in historic first

Arizona became the first state to defeat an amendment to ban same-sex marriage Tuesday, bucking a strong national trend by refusing to change its constitution to define marriage as a one-man, one-woman institution. The measure also would have forbidden civil unions and domestic partnerships.

''We knew all along that once voters were informed about the true impact…they would oppose this hurtful initiative,'' said Steve May, treasurer for Arizona Together, which organized opposition to the measure. ''They made the right decision.''

A total of eight states voted on amendments to ban same-sex marriage: Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin approved them. Similar amendments have passed previously in all 20 states that have considered them.

Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, noted that the bans that succeeded won by much narrower margins, on average, than in the past. He said it was a sign that ''fear-mongering around same-sex marriage is fizzling out.''

Conservatives had hoped that ballot measures to ban same-sex marriage might increase turnout for Republicans, though the GOP had a rough night, losing control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years, with the Senate majority still to be determined. (David Crary, AP)

© 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Aaliyah D. McCants
    Date posted: 2008-11-03 4:23 PM
    Hometown: Tucson,AZ

    Comment:

    everyone has the right to marry who the love regaurdless of their gender. Its not right to say who someone can and can not marry i disagree on banning the right of gay marriage. There is nothing wrong with it and actually most gay couples stay together longer the one man and one woman the understand each other more and are less likely to cheat or kill one another. Others say they cant have kids and destroy generation that is not true actually it helps kids free from adoption homes and stops abortion so more kids have a chance to live and continue to help the world. Its a better way to keep kids of the streets and in great homes. Gay people have never done a single thing wrong to anyone else so they should not be punished. God made them who they are and he loves them despite what the bible says. If god didnt want them to be happy,married or alive anything at all them he wouldnt have made them he wants them here to make a difference and they will.


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