Coalition vows to defeat attempt to ban gay rights (in CA)

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Coalition vows to defeat attempt to ban gay rights

ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 26, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO – A coalition of about 200 religious, labor and civil rights groups announced plans yesterday to join forces to defeat a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage and strip gay couples of most of the spousal rights they already have as domestic partners.

Although the amendment hasn't qualified for an upcoming election, members of the Equality for All coalition said they didn't want to waste time gearing up to warn voters of what they claim would be the measure's drastic implications for many kinds of nontraditional families, gay or straight.

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The language of the proposed Voters Right to Protect Marriage Initiative states that if passed, lawmakers would be prevented from extending to gay couples either marriage licenses or any of the rights and responsibilities that come with marriage. That would mean revoking the nearly full spousal benefits the state has conferred on registered domestic partners, who can include not only same-sex couples but unmarried senior citizens.

Meanwhile, the Assembly Appropriations Committee approved a bill yesterday to recognize same-sex marriages.


Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050526/news_1n26protest.html