A group lobbying
for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage concedes
that its chances are slim with Democrats controlling
Congress. So now it's setting its sights on state
legislatures. The Washington, D.C.-based
Alliance for Marriage wants to build a nationwide network of
state lawmakers who would support a constitutional
amendment, the group's leaders said Monday in an
interview with the Associated Press.
''There is no
question that the shift in the balance of power in
Washington has, for the time being, made it difficult to
reintroduce the federal amendment in Congress,'' said
Matt Daniels, the group's founder and president.
But voters in
several states approved ballot questions opposing same-sex
marriage. And ultimately, three fourths of state
legislatures would have to approve an amendment to the
U.S. Constitution.
''We believe the
day is coming when the Marriage Protection Amendment
will be sent to the states,'' said Bob Adams, vice president
of the alliance. ''The time to organize for that is
now, not 10 years down the road.''
Arline Isaacson,
a leader of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political
Caucus, acknowledged the anti-marriage equality lobby
has had success in state legislatures, 45 of which
already have passed laws or constitutional amendments
prohibiting marriage for gay and lesbian couples.
The antigay
groups ''are extremely well-funded and very
well-organized,'' Isaacson said. ''I don't doubt they
will happily pour those resources into preliminary
organization of the states.''
Massachusetts is
the only state in the country that allows same-sex
marriage. Connecticut, New Jersey, and Vermont allow civil
unions for same-sex couples.
But Massachusetts
lawmakers voted at the end of the last session to allow
further consideration on a proposed constitutional amendment
against same-sex marriage.
''We are fighting
with everything we've got to preserve our marriage
rights,'' Isaacson said, although she acknowledged that
marriage equality supporters do not currently have
enough votes to prevent the amendment's passage.
(David Weber, AP)
