WASHINGTON (ABP) — Opponents of same-sex marriage got a clean sweep in the Nov. 2 elections, with voters in 11 states — from Michigan to Oregon and from Georgia to North Dakota — passing constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage.
Most of the proposals carried by large margins, according to the most recent figures available. In Mississippi, voters passed their state's ban by an 86-to-14 percent margin. In several other states — Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, North Dakota and Oklahoma — similar bans passed by margins of about three to one.
The amendments in Utah and Montana passed by 66-to-34 percent in each state. Even in Michigan and Oregon — states carried by Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry — similar bans passed by wide margins (59 to 41 percent in Michigan's case, and 57 to 43 percent in Oregon's).
Some observers thought the vote might be closer in Ohio, where the proposal was denounced by the state's Republican governor and its two Republican senators. They said it would make the state vulnerable to economic boycotts because it not only banned marriage but also any other legal arrangements designed to protect same-sex couples. Nonetheless, it passed by a 62-to-38 percent margin.
Mitch Daniels, president of the Washington-based Alliance For Marriage, called the results “a democratic tidal wave in the states in favor of marriage.”
But “the real big picture is: This is essentially a political dress rehearsal for the national phase, which is about to begin,” he added, noting that gay-rights activists have already promised to challenge the state amendments in federal court.
Which is why, Daniels said, opponents of gay marriage should work again to pass a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Despite support from President Bush, such an amendment failed in both the House and the Senate earlier this year.
But that might change, he said, now that there is a slightly more conservative Congress — and what conservatives are viewing as a new mandate for Bush. “We've got the Senate leadership. We've got the House leadership as stronger than ever,” he said. “Ultimately, if we get our marriage amendment out of Congress, it's going to fly through the states.”
By press time, spokespeople for gay-rights groups had not returned phone messages from Associated Baptist Press requesting comment. But a statement released by the Human Rights Campaign Nov. 3 pointed to exit-polling data showing that a large majority of Americans support either same-sex marriage or civil unions.
The polls showed that, while only 25 percent of voters supported gay marriage, another 35 percent supported other legal arrangements for same-sex couples. Thirty-seven percent opposed any legal recognition for gay partners.
Of the 35 percent who supported civil unions but not marriages for gays, a 52-to-47 percent majority actually voted for Bush.
“No elected official can reverse the American people's support for equality,” HRC President Cheryl Jacques said, according to the statement. “On the floor of Congress, efforts to divide and discriminate only backfired. We will fight harder than ever for equality.”
Despite the support for civil unions indicated in the poll, most of the state anti-gay-marriage amendments that passed on Nov. 2 also banned such unions. Besides Ohio, the amendments in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Utah outlawed civil unions or similar arrangements.
In Nov. 2 exit interviews with Kentucky voters, several cited religious reasons for voting for that state's gay-marriage ban.
“I'm a Christian and I think it's high time that Christians stand up for what they believe,” declared David Schrader, a member of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville. “This business of anybody marrying anybody just doesn't fly,” he added. “If that were OK, why would God have created man and woman to start with?”
Laura Brewer, a member of Crestwood (Ky.) Baptist Church, also cited both the Bible and nature in her support of the constitutional amendment. “I think the Bible is very clear on what God's plan is,” she noted. “I also think nature bears out the way we are meant to be joined, and I think that's just a natural thing even if you aren't a Christian.”
Citing the ongoing debate over same-sex marriage, she added, “Twenty years ago, societally that would not have been a question. Now, unfortunately, it has been pushed into the political arena because it's not a common-sense issue anymore. It's changing the whole fabric of how we look at life.”
But Jeremy Lewis, a student at Emory University's Candler School of Theology and a member of Northside Drive Baptist Church in Atlanta, said he voted against Georgia's amendment because Christians should stand up for the civil rights of gay people, even if they disagree with them theologically.
“[The amendment] was saying that you don't want to recognize the dignity [of gay couples], and the things that heterosexual couples almost assume as rights — access to benefits, benefits like at the death of their partners,” he said. “It was framed in a Christian rhetoric that shows no compassion or love for honoring an individual or the dignity of an individual — and for the commitment that these couples make to each other.”
Lewis concluded: “We have a civic responsibility to honor those who are religious and not religious — and even for a group that believes that this is wrong, religiously, there should be some compassion for those who don't. You shouldn't legislate things without a recognition or a goal of the common good.”
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