Ohio's Republican governor opposes state marriage ban

Ohio's governor, Bob Taft, who is a Republican, said he opposes a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, saying it goes further than the law he supported earlier this year and could lead to lawsuits because of its ambiguous language. The amendment says, in part, that government entities cannot create a legal status for unmarried people that "intends to approximate" various elements of marriage. Taft said there will be as many interpretations of that phrase as "there are judges in the state of Ohio." Taft said Wednesday that the proposed amendment, which is on the November 2 ballot, could harm senior citizens as well as any two people who share living accommodations. Taft also said the amendment could hurt the state's economy. Taft's opposition doesn't matter, said Phil Burress, president of Cincinnati-based Citizens for Community Values, which is pushing the amendment. "It's really unimportant to us what the governor thinks--this is an issue for the people of Ohio," Burress said. "I'm not trying to put him down; I'm just trying to say, What difference does it make?"