Press

Task Force Commends Community Leaders in Maine, Indiana and Wyoming

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Roberta Sklar, Director of Communications
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) leaders in the fight for marriage equality won two important victories this week, defeating proposed amendments to the Maine and Indiana state constitutions that would have explicitly denied gay and lesbian couples the right to marry.

These mark the second and third such victories in recent weeks, including the defeat of another same-sex marriage ban in Wyoming late February. Meanwhile, the battle continues on other fronts, including Georgia where right wing forces are attempting to push another vote in the state General Assembly.

Today, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman applauded community leaders in Maine, Indiana, Wyoming, and Georgia for their swift and effective action in defense of civil equality for LGBT people everywhere.

"I join the thousands upon thousands of gay and lesbian couples from these states in thanking their community leaders for taking a stand against the outrageous tide of discrimination we're seeing against us. In particular, we want to salute and honor Betsy Smith of the Maine Lesbian Gay Political alliance, Allen Thornell of Georgia Equality, and Linda Burt of the Wyoming chapter of the ACLU," Foreman said. "They've challenged prejudice with valor and are an inspiration to us all."

"When President Bush announced his support of a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would, if passed, permanently exclude same-sex couples from having the legal right to marry, defeating similar efforts at the state level became more important than ever," Foreman continued. "What we've seen since then is encouraging. It shows that fair-minded Americans from states in the north, south, east and west can agree: it is not in anyone's interests to write such blatant discrimination into the law."

BACKGROUND

On Tuesday March 5th, the Maine Senate refused to consider a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage by a vote of 17 against and 16 in favor. A similar proposal was defeated in the Maine House by a vote of 76 to 63 on February 18th.

Betsy Smith, executive director of the Maine Lesbian Gay Political Alliance, said the victory in their state was especially important. A bill still before the legislature that would give inheritance rights to domestic partners could have been negatively affected had the amendment resolution succeeded.

Smith still expects to see the same amendment resurface next legislative session, and is already preparing a broad coalition of many different advocacy groups, from the business community to communities of faith, to prepare for the fight ahead of them.

On Wednesday March 6th, Indiana House Republicans admitted defeat, bringing to an end their boycott of proceedings that had lasted a week and a half, in a last-ditch effort to ban equal marriage rights for same-sex couples with a similar constitutional amendment.

House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer - backed by the Democratic majority in the house - would not allow any debate on same-sex marriage, calling it a non-issue, and insisting that the legislature needed to deal with more pressing priorities.

On February 26, a bill to send to the voters an amendment to the Georgia state constitution to ban same-sex marriage had already failed to get the required 120 of 180 votes in House of Representatives, by a 3 vote margin. This victory was the result of an extraordinary campaign organized by Georgia Equality, the state's leading LGBT advocacy organization.

Immediately after the defeat, House Republicans and conservative Democrats moved to have the measure reconsidered and right wing political and religious groups have mounted a venomous campaign to push for a re-vote. On Monday, Georgia Equality turned out 700 pro-equality supporters outside the General Assembly and continues to lobby legislators daily. At this point, it is unclear if the measure will be brought back to the floor for a vote.

On February 18th, an amendment to deny the legal recognition of same-sex marriages performed outside the state of Wyoming was also proposed and defeated in that state. Wyoming is one of 12 states that does not have a "Defense of Marriage" law or constitutional provision on the books. Linda Burt, executive director of the ACLU's Wyoming chapter, told reporters at the time, "Why we would not want to support the commitment of two people... I do not know. I don't know what the purpose of the state would be in doing that."

More information and resources on the struggle for equal marriage rights can be found in the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Marriage Information Resource Center at http://www.TheTaskForce.org/marriagecenter

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The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up. We do this by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movement’s premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Cambridge.