CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Missouri will provide the nation's first ballot-box battle on gay marriage since the contentious issue flared up following the court-ordered allowance of same-sex marriages in Massachusetts. Missouri is one of at least seven states this year in which voters will decide on proposed amendments to state constitutions limiting marriage to one man and one woman. But Missourians will be voting in August, while most of the other states will hold their elections in November. Consequently, supporters and opponents alike are looking to Missouri - a state that generally mirrors the nation demographically - as a test of whether similar amendments might succeed elsewhere. Missouri "is going to be a sort of bellwether of how this is going to play out in November" and also could build momentum for an effort to amend a gay marriage ban into the U.S. Constitution, Kristie Rutherford, director of state affairs at the Washington-based Family Research Council, said Friday. Although many states already have laws against gay marriage, supporters have embarked on a campaign to pass constitutional amendments after the Massachusetts supreme judicial court ruled last November that gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional right to marry. Massachusetts did not have a law, much less a constitutional amendment, against same-sex marriage. Because of the process for amending the Massachusetts Constitution, voters there couldn't decide on a gay marriage amendment until November 2006. But constitutions in many other states can be amended more quickly. Along with Missouri, legislators in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah also have passed referendums on amendments banning gay marriage. Louisiana lawmakers have yet to agree on a September or November election, but the other states all plan November votes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Family Research Council. Gay rights activists are bracing to lose those elections, but still are planning aggressive campaigns in hopes of defying expectations. "The opponents of marriage equality have targeted what are generally seen as more conservative states," said Michael Adams, director of education and public affairs at the New York-based gay-rights group Lambda Legal. "If we should win any of those battles, in Missouri or elsewhere, it certainly is a sign that we're in good shape." Missouri's August vote came about only after the state Supreme Courton Thursday resolved a political fight between Republicans pushing to get the measure on the November general election ballot and Democrats hoping to avoid that. Political pundits believe a November vote could have benefited President Bush and other Republicans by drawing more conservative voters to the polls. But Republican state senator Sarah Steelman, of Rolla, the sponsor of Missouri's amendment, insisted Friday that her desire for a November election was based not on political advantages, but rather on involving the greatest number of voters. While perhaps making Missouri a trendsetter, an August election will "decrease the opportunity to educate voters about the legal ramifications" of the amendment, she said. Just four states already have constitutional amendments banning gay marriage or authorizing the legislature to do so. Voters in Hawaii and Alaska adopted amendments in 1998, Nebraska in 2000, and Nevada in a two-step ratification process that spanned elections in 2000 and 2002.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: The Daily
Trending stories from our video partner Advocate Channel.
For more videos and shows go to advocatechannel.com.
Trending stories from our video partner Advocate Channel.
For more videos and shows go to advocatechannel.com.
Latest Stories
Over 90% of trans youth live in states pushing anti-trans legislation: report
April 23 2024 10:08 PM
George Santos pulls out of New York congressional race
April 23 2024 7:04 PM
Biden will hammer Trump over abortion bans in Florida speech
April 23 2024 5:00 AM
Tristan Snell, who brought down Trump University, sees conviction in hush money case
April 22 2024 7:36 PM
Joe Biden admin marks Earth Day with major environmental initiatives
April 22 2024 4:18 PM