Georgia House Rejects Gay Marriage Amendment

[varun]

House Rejects Gay Marriage Amendment

wow...the amendment failed in Georgia!!! (although just by 3 votes)

This is a good sign.
http://11alive.com:8080/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=43471

Provided By: The Associated Press
Last Modified: 2/26/2004 6:44:46 PM


ATLANTA (AP) -- The Georgia House narrowly rejected a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage Thursday, a surprise vote that derailed the same-sex marriage question that seemed almost certain to go to voters this fall.

Proponents of the ban fell just three votes short of clearing the final legislative hurdle. The Democrat controlled House voted 117-50 in favor of the marriage ban, short of the 120 votes needed to pass a constitutional amendment....

[jono]

1. Excellent news!

:thumbsup:

[wryter2000]

2. Wow!

Good news.

[NC_Nurse]

3. Yay!

I'm from Atlanta! It makes me proud!:toast:

[prodigal_green]

4. FMA

Will go the way of the Flag Burning amendment. Americans just don't like coding personal limitations into the constitution.

This issue will be dead by June.

[Baclava]

5. See? they change the flag...and THIS happens...

(Old flag)

[David__77]

6. excellent.

Hopefully these lawmakers against it aren't vulnerable electorally because of it. They're going to have to be vigorously defended.

[West Coast Democrat]

7. I've been told Atlanta has quite a large gay population

This must be why the amendment failed.

[sonias]

8. Another front where black Democrats take a brave stand

"The defeat came largely because black Democrats resisted. For much of the debate, black members compared the struggle for black voting rights to the current national debate over gay rights."
--------------------------------

How many times are the other Democrats going to waffle and do the wrong thing when the black Democrats are right again? Stand united against racism and inequality. You know if Zell Miller was Governor in GA again he would be leading the fight for the hate amendment. Shame on all Democrats that support this hate amendment. Not that Zell is a Democrat of course.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"
Martin Luther King Jr.

Sonia

[proud patriot]

9. Does that mean they won't ratify it either ?

:D

[kayell]

11. It could still be raised from the dead according to the article

"The gay marriage ban isn't dead yet. The House may vote to reconsider its vote next week. And since 12 members were absent from Thursday's four-hour debate, the amendment could still get the two-thirds required to change the state constitution."

But it being turned down is excellent news so far. And I am so grateful to the black legislators who have made the connection to the civil rights movement.

[Rockholm]

10. Woo Hoo!!!!

[Sinistrous]

12. We are aware that this was a motion to amend the GA STATE constitution

Aren't we? And that it had absolutely nothing to do with FMA, except as a hopeful harbinger of the position of the Georgia legislature?

[salin]

13. doesn't it make easier

the state level ratification of the FMA were it to pass in DC? I think these states rushing (as my own, Indiana, is doing) - are doing so to clear a hurdle and make the next steps go more smoothly. That is, pressure on DC - see our state changed the state constitution now YOU need to change the fed constitution, pressure to be reapplied at the state level to ratify anything that comes out of dc (see we already amended our constitution - no big deal to ratify amending the federal constitution....)

[kayell]

14. Yes, but this is still excellent news

If GA can vote down this as a state amendment, it gives great hope about how other legislators throughout the country will view altering the US constitution in this way. In fact it makes me wonder if *s pushing the FMA made some people think a little more deeply about what altering a constitution to remove peoples rights means.

And I am especially thrilled that we now have a group of black southern legislators standing up and saying that the struggle for gay right IS similar to the civil rights struggles of the 60s. That backing will help the cause greatly.

[Sinistrous]

16. As I said...

"a hopeful harbinger of the position of the Georgia legislature" (on the FMA.

[mobuto]

15. It'll pass on Monday it looks like

The amendment's backers need three more votes to have the requisite 2/3 majority, and something like 40 delegates weren't present. It looks like it might be too early to celebrate, if my understanding is correct. If only three of the 40 or so delegates who haven't voted vote in favor on a reintroduced amendment, it will pass.

[schultzee]

17. Oh the poor little fundis are so upset! So sad.