5.18.2006
this is from our very own katie o. i needed her to clear up the issues with the things going on in our fine state. so here is her explanation (and perhaps opinions).
What, exactly, got struck down?
The 2004 referendum was a referendum on a constitutional amendment to the Georgia constitution banning gay marriage, civil unions, domestic partnerships, and any legal recognition of same sex couples. It left in limbo any legal contracts that gays and lesbians might have drawn in order to protect themselves should something happen, (i.e., a contract between my partner and I regarding who gets what equity in our house should we break up (we own it jointly)). You can read it here.
And the “activist judge” ruled that way because she’s part of the gay agenda?
No. The reason it was struck down in trial court (note - it is being appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, so this is by no means a final decision) is because it banned BOTH gay marriage AND all other legal relationships between gays and lesbians. There's a law in Georgia that you cannot lump more than one issue into a single constitutional amendment referendum. There are lots of very good reasons why you can't rewrite the state constitution in one fell swoop, and that's why this limitation to amendments is necessary.
What are we going to do now?
Hold a special legislative session. Panic. PANIC! Because otherwise, gay people will get married and surely the sky will fall. Read about it here.
Right?
No. There's no need to panic. Gay marriage is already totally, absolutely, one hundred percent illegal in Georgia. There’s a federal Defense of Marriage Act AND a Georgia Defense of Marriage Act. It would take years of litigation to change that, and it would probably fail miserably. There isn't any reason that I can see to spend hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to hold a special session to outlaw something that's already outlawed. (Yes, for all you fiscal conservatives, holding a special session will cost Georgia taxpayers $30,000-$40,000 a day). And frankly, when you pile a state constitutional amendment on top of a state Defense of Marriage Act and a federal Defense of Marriage Act, I think you're hard pressed to say you're doing anything but getting out the conservative vote and giving gay people the big F*&% you.
But if we don’t pass another amendment, activist judges will force us all into gay marriages that we don’t want, right?
No. The Georgia Defense of Marriage Act was unsuccessfully challenged about 3 years ago. So activist judges are not threatening the "sanctity" of marriage. Straight people seem to be doing that just fine on their own with no-fault divorce, remarriage, Las Vegas, Brittany spears, J-lo, etc.
1 Comments:
this stuff is disgusting to me. why the hell do people care so much about gay marriage? what is so wrong with it? it is pointless, ignorant bullshit to oppose it. if you ask these hardcore conservatives, they really have no reason why they oppose except some uneducated response with anti-homosexuality blabber.
