Gay Marriage and its Possible effect on the 2004 Elections
(Ross Crumbley, Staff Reporter)

Julie and Hillary Goodridge and David Wilson and Robert Compton were two of the seven same-sex couples in Massachusetts who sued for the right to marry. They are at a press conference in Boston.

When the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on November 18th ruled that same-sex couples have a right to civil marriages, it lead to cheers and boos across the nation. The ruling stated that...

�the right to marry means little if it does not include the right to marry the person of one�s choice.�

This ruling went further then any other decision in this subject and even past the 1999 action by Vermont to allow same-sex couples to receive benefits and protection. As positive of a decision this is for the gay community, many people have already began to respond and to attempt to block the ruling in Massachusetts and other similar laws to this one across the country. Many state and local limit governments have issued amendments to limit marriage between a man and a woman. But, this is not enough for some. In the Senate, four Senators are working on a constitutional amendment called the Federal Marriage Amendment that would ban gay marriages. At this time, the amendment does not have the support needed to pass, but this issue is being turned into the social issue of the 2004 Presidential election. Conservatives believe that this could be an issue that helps their party because it would drive people away from candidates that they would normally vote on. President Bush has spoken out on this issue.

�I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.�

But the President failed to give an opinion on the Constitutional Amendment. The democratic candidates were quick to denounce discrimination against gays and lesbians. But none of them have made a stance on this issue, not even Howard Dean who enacted Vermont�s Gay Benefits Law. With this issue moving to the forefront of the Presidential debate this could be one of the issues that you look at when deciding who is best to run this country.

For more information, check out these sites...

How States are Handling Gay Marriage - by Mitch Frank of Time
Dean for America: Equal Rights for All

With the increased focus on legalizing gay marriages, we asked Richard Corey, President of the MSU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Friends Organization about how they feel about all the controversy.

�I don�t understand what people have a problem with. All we want to do is to be able to officially express our love for our partners�. If people were that concerned about marriage, they should try to reform marriage, not prevent those who truly love each other from getting married.�

The GLBF is an organization that is open to everyone, gay or straight. It provides a place for gays and lesbians to openly express their concerns and provide a caring environment free from stereotypes. GLBF does provide MSU with a valuable service of informing the student body about the gay community. It hopes that this information will help rid many of the stereotypes associated with the gay and lesbian community.

Click for more information on the MSU GLBF Organization.

We wanted to know how people across the nation feel about this issue. The facts are interesting. The latest PEW POLL shows that 69% of people living in rural area oppose gay marriage. While 54% of people living in suburban areas and 52% of people living in urban areas support gay marriage. The PEW POLL also found that 80% of all churchgoers oppose gay marriages.

We want to know what you think.

Click on TODAY�S POLL and let us know if you support gay marriages. The results will be posted on Thursday�s EYEWITNESS NEWS.