ACLU Cautions President Against Taking A More Extreme Anti-Gay Stance

Here is an article from the ACLU site. www.aclu.org I think everyone 
should check out this site, even support them by joining, and join 
other Gay and Lesbian Rights Groups, contact your Governors, your 
Senators, etc., and tell them how you oppose any law that bans Gay 
Rights to legal marriage, and any change to the united states 
constitution! 

-------------------------------------


Lesbian & Gay Rights : Domestic Partnership, Civil Unions, Marriage 

ACLU Cautions President Against Taking A More Extreme Anti-Gay Stance 

July 30, 2003

WASHINGTON – Responding to President Bush's support for a 
discriminatory new law restricting marriage to a man and woman, 
expressed this morning at a rare Rose Garden news conference, the 
American Civil Liberties Union cautioned the President against 
supporting a constitutional amendment that would forever ban same-sex 
marriages.

"With only a few exceptions, most legal attacks on gays and lesbians 
are like jabs relative to the knockout punch to gay and lesbian 
rights the President could be gearing up to support," said 
Christopher E. Anders, an ACLU Legislative Counsel.   "By trumping 
all local and state protections for gay or lesbian relationships, 
such an extreme move would deprive millions of loving, devoted 
families of their most fundamental rights in one fell swoop."

At his news conference this morning, the President said, "I believe 
in the sanctity of marriage.  I believe marriage is between a man and 
a woman.  And I think we ought to codify that one way or another."  
At the same time, right wing activists are rallying behind a 
constitutional amendment being pushed currently in Congress by Sen. 
Rick Santorum (R-PA) who got in trouble earlier this year for 
equating homosexuality with incest and bestiality.  

The White House has to date declined to endorse a constitutional 
amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual arrangements and the 
ACLU, although dismayed that the President wants to shut the door to 
states that want to recognize same-sex families, urged him to 
continue to reject any constitutional change.

The proposed amendment, the ACLU said, would undermine state domestic 
partnerships, adoption, foster care and kinship care laws. 
Significantly, the amendment also would not hurt just gays and 
lesbians.  It would deprive all unmarried couples of all legal 
protections for their relationships by overriding any federal or 
state constitutional protections and federal, state and local laws.  
In many states, unmarried persons -- including unmarried relatives, 
heterosexual couples, and even unrelated clergy members -- have the 
same rights as married persons to jointly adopt or provide foster 
care or kinship care. 

The proposed amendment would also take the extremely rare – and 
inevitably disastrous – step of changing the Constitution to restrict 
rights, a purpose that the founders never intended.  The last time 
the Constitution was changed to constrain Americans' liberties – with 
the 18th Amendment and Prohibition – the move was an unqualified 
failure that had to be repealed.

The President's remarks also come on the heels of the Lawrence v. 
Texas Supreme Court decision striking down state anti-sodomy laws, 
which was based on a strong affirmation of a basic right to privacy 
in the United States.

"The President's stance belies any prior lip-service to limited 
government or the traditional Republican values of individual rights 
and personal dignity," Anders said.  "This is the government in our 
bedrooms and interfering with our families all over again."



------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for Your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at Myinks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/sO0ANB/LIdGAA/ySSFAA/k2holB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

DAMN THE CROSS!!! 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/