Mass. lawmakers vote to allow gay marriage amendment to proceed (01/03/07) BOSTON -- In a suspense-filled final day of the legislative session, Massachusetts lawmakers kept alive a proposed constitutional amendment Tuesday that would put a stop to gay marriage in the only state that allows same-sex couples to wed. The vote came after weeks of mounting legal and political pressure on legislators from both sides in the debate...

N.J. court gives gays more rights but doesn't decide on marriage (10/26/06) NEWARK, N.J. -- Soon after the state Supreme Court ruled that she has the right to some form of legal union with her partner, Cindy Meneghin stood behind a news conference lectern and said she was "feeling butterflies." She said she was reminded of the day, in a Catholic high school gym, that she first saw her partner of more than 30 years. And then, with the video cameras whirring, she decided that too much time had already been wasted...

Calif. court hands defeat to advocates of marriage for same-sex marriage (10/06/06) SAN FRANCISCO -- A state appeals court upheld California's ban on gay marriage Thursday, a critical defeat for a movement hungry for a win after similar losses in two other states. In reversing the March 2005 ruling of a San Francisco trial judge, the 1st District Court of Appeal agreed with the state's attorney general, who argued it is up to the Legislature, not the courts, to change the traditional definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman...

Washington state's highest court upholds gay marriage ban (07/27/06) OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The Washington Supreme Court upheld the state's ban on gay marriage Wednesday, dealing the gay rights movement its second major defeat in less than a month in a liberal-leaning state that was regarded as an especially promising battleground...

House rejects gay marriage amendment (07/19/06) WASHINGTON -- The House rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on Tuesday, a setback that conservatives hope to turn to their advantage in the fall elections. "Be assured that this issue is not over," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill...

New York, Georgia appeals courts reject same-sex marriage cases (07/07/06) ALBANY, N.Y. -- The highest courts in two states dealt gay rights advocates dual setbacks Thursday, rejecting same-sex couples' bid to win marriage rights in New York and reinstating a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Georgia. Activists had hoped to widen marriage rights for gays and lesbians beyond Massachusetts with a legal victory in liberal New York, but the Court of Appeals ruled 4-2 that the state's law allowing marriage only between a man and a woman was constitutional...

Schwarzenegger vetoes gay marriage bill (09/30/05) SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger followed through Thursday on his promise to veto a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in California, saying the issue should be decided by voters or the courts. Schwarzenegger had announced his intention on Sept. 7, a day after the legislature became the first in the country to approve a bill allowing gays and lesbians to wed...

Canada legalizes gay marriage (07/21/05) TORONTO -- Canada legalized gay marriage Wednesday, becoming the world's fourth nation to grant full legal rights to same-sex couples. Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin signed the legislation making it law, hours after it was approved by the Senate late Tuesday night despite strong opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders...

Spain legalizes same-sex marriage (07/01/05) MADRID, Spain -- At the historic Congress of Deputies, pandemonium erupted. Conservatives shouted in fury. Gay activists collapsed in tears. Some began making wedding plans -- or at least deciding who'd pop the question, now that they could. "Today is a dream come true," graphic designer Jose Paz, 38, said after Thursday's vote that made Spain the third country to legalize gay marriage...

Group opposed to gay marriage petitions Spanish lawmakers (06/30/05) MADRID, Spain -- A Catholic lay group opposed to gay marriage presented lawmakers Wednesday with a petition bearing 600,000 signatures, a day before Parliament was expected to legalize same-sex unions in Spain. The Spanish Family Forum said the signatures were in addition to half a million others presented last month to press the Socialist government to call a referendum on whether Spain should institute gay marriage...

Gay marriage bill passed in Canada (06/29/05) TORONTO -- Canada's House of Commons passed landmark legislation Tuesday to legalize gay marriage, granting same-sex couples legal rights equal to those in traditional unions between a man and a woman. The bill passed as expected, despite opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders. The legislation drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority Liberal Party government was also expected to easily pass the Senate and become federal law by the end of July...

Married gay couples celebrate anniversary of legal recognition (05/18/05) BOSTON -- Alexander Westerhoff and Thomas Lang celebrated their first wedding anniversary Tuesday by holding a sign on the Statehouse steps reading: "Thank you Massachusetts for one year of equality." A year after Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to recognize same-sex marriages, Westerhoff said fears have subsided that lawmakers will nullify their union...

One year on, legacy of gay marriage ruling is mixed (05/15/05) BOSTON -- Opponents saw it as a huge blow to the American family. Supporters looked on it as a moment of liberation. The first legal gay marriages in Massachusetts were a pivotal moment in America's culture wars. A year later, the legacy is mixed -- they remain legal here, and civil unions have been legalized in neighboring Connecticut, but a dozen states were propelled to prohibit same-sex weddings...

Kansas voters give OK to gay marriage ban (04/06/05) TOPEKA, Kan. -- Voters in Kansas overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday banning same-sex couples from marrying or entering into civil unions. With more than half of precincts reporting, 298,647 votes, or 70 percent, were cast in favor of a constitutional amendment, with 128,366, or 30 percent, opposed...

Tennesseans to vote on gay marriage ban amendment (03/18/05) NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennesseans will get a chance to vote on whether to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage after the House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved putting the question on the 2006 ballot. The House voted 88-7 for the resolution, which says marriage will be defined as between one man and one woman. The Senate approved the measure 29-3 last month...

Judge- California's gay marriage ban unconstitutional (03/15/05) SAN FRANCISCO -- A judge ruled Monday that California's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional -- a legal milestone that, if upheld on appeal, would open the way for the most populous state to follow Massachusetts in allowing same-sex couples to wed...

Judge throws out gay marriage lawsuit (01/20/05) TAMPA, Fla. -- In what is believed to be the first ruling of its kind, a judge on Wednesday upheld the federal law letting states ban same-sex marriages, dismissing a lawsuit by two women seeking to have their Massachusetts marriage recognized here...

New Calif. law gives gay couples benefits (01/02/05) Lisa Leff~ The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO -- Like many gay couples, Brian Cornell and Alberto Rulloda long ago established a legal framework for their relationship to match their commitment to each other. They drew up wills naming the other as...

Amendment to ban gay marriage unlikely to come soon (12/28/04) WASHINGTON -- Opponents of gay marriage concede victory will not be swift in their attempt to amend the U.S. Constitution, even after prevailing in all 11 states where the issue was on the ballot last month. While the Nov. 2 election also increased the ranks of amendment supporters in both houses of Congress, the gains were relatively small...

Months after the start of gay marriage, the divorces begin (12/11/04) BOSTON -- Less than seven months after same-sex couples began tying the knot in Massachusetts, the state is seeing its first gay divorces. Newlyweds seeking to renounce the vows they so recently took have been trickling into probate courts across the state, filling out obsolete forms that still read "husband" and "wife."...

Protecting marriage isn't just about banning gay unions (11/22/04) NEW YORK -- "Protection of marriage" is now the watchword for many activists fighting to prevent gays and lesbians from marrying. Some conservatives, however, say marriage in America began unraveling long before the latest gay-rights push and are pleading for a fresh, soul-searching look at the institution...

Nation remains divided over gay marriage (11/14/04) BOSTON -- The fight for gay marriage appeared to be gaining ground a year ago. Although dozens of states had passed laws defining marriage as a heterosexual institution, advocates took heart in state-sanctioned civil unions in Vermont, expanded domestic partnership benefits in California, and a Supreme Court decision striking down the Texas sodomy ban...

House defeats gay marriage ban amendment (10/01/04) WASHINGTON -- The House emphatically rejected a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage Thursday, the latest in a string of conservative pet causes advanced by Republican leaders in the run-up to Election Day. The vote was 227-186, 49 votes shy of the two-thirds needed for approval of an amendment that President Bush backed but the Senate had previously scuttled...

Calif. high court voids gay marriages in San Francisco (08/13/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court on Thursday voided the nearly 4,000 same-sex marriages sanctioned in San Francisco this year and ruled unanimously that the mayor overstepped his authority by issuing licenses to gay and lesbian couples...

Region sets pace for gay marriage opposition (08/06/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri voters made their opposition to same-sex marriage quite clear Tuesday when, with 70.7 percent support, they ratified Amendment 2, which defines marriage as being only between a man and a woman in the state constitution...

Gay marriage may come to Washington (08/06/04) SEATTLE -- A judge ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage violates Washington's constitution, but no licenses will be issued to gay couples until the state Supreme Court reviews the case. King County Superior Court Judge William L. Downing called the ban a denial of "substantive due process," and said he found no evidence of the argument that children's interests were being neglected...

Missouri voters first in U.S. to approve gay marriage ban (08/04/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday to ban gay marriage, the first such vote since the historic ruling in Massachusetts last year that legalized same-sex weddings there. The amendment garnered 72 percent of the vote, with 58 percent of precincts reporting...

State gay marriage votes could affect federal efforts (07/16/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The outcome of proposed state constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriages that voters in Missouri and several other states will decide this year could influence efforts in Congress to add a similar provision to the U.S. Constitution...

Senate stops marriage amendment (07/15/04) WASHINGTON -- The Senate scuttled a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman on Wednesday, handing a defeat to President Bush yet assuring the issue renewed prominence in the fall campaign for the White House and control of Congress...

Missouri law takes more mundane view of marriage (07/13/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Although the Missouri Supreme Court has never considered whether same-sex couples have the constitutional right to wed, it commented on the gender parameters of marriage in the early years of statehood. "There must be a man and a woman," Judge Mathias McGirk, an original member of the high court, wrote in an 1835 case. "Two men cannot make it. Two women cannot -- only one man and one woman under our laws can enter into it. ..."...

Views differ on parallel between same-sex, interracial marriage (07/13/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- During the debate over same-sex marriage in Missouri and elsewhere, comparisons have been drawn between efforts to outlaw such unions and statutes barring interracial marriage that were commonplace throughout the country just a generation ago...

Churches continue wrestling with issue of gays and marriage (07/12/04) Same-sex couples are marrying in Massachusetts and heading to courthouses in San Francisco so that their relationships have legal recognition, but few religious bodies are ready to give their blessing. Church denominations continue to wrestle with the issues of homosexuality, ordaining gays and blessing same-sex unions...

Seeking a definition (07/12/04) When Kelley and Joe Pujol married 11 years ago, they knew it wouldn't be a fairy tale or fantasy story where everyone lives happily ever after. Statistics said that about half the couples married in the 1990s would divorce sometime in the future. But the Pujols were more realistic about what their marriage would be. They found a community of support in their church and continue to work at making their relationship last...

Couples share their definition of marriage (07/11/04) Exactly 365 days from now, Katie Barbour, 22, and Adam Bertrand, 24, are to be married in a religious ceremony at Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. The two have known each other since childhood -- Adam was a friend of Katie's brother -- and were engaged in late May...

The state of the union (07/11/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In terms of secular law, religious teachings and prevailing societal standards, the concept that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman has been virtually unchallenged in Western culture. However, the institution of marriage has evolved greatly over the centuries, as have ideas concerning what it means to be married...

Same-sex couples want equal marriage rights (07/11/04) Gay and lesbian couples don't think they're asking for much when they seek the same public recognition any other heterosexual married couple has. Being married as a legal spouse provides some benefits that domestic partnerships do not, said Denise Eaker, executive director of Visions of Pride, a local gay and lesbian organization...

Lull hits before more challenges of gay marriage (06/17/04) BOSTON -- For a month now, hundreds of gay couples have gotten married in Massachusetts with remarkably little fanfare or protest. But the honeymoon is about to end. Gay-marriage opponents are targeting the legislature this fall, when all 200 seats are up for election. They want to see passage of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage...

Same-sex marriage vote moves to August ballot (06/04/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Although the Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday declined to order Secretary of State Matt Blunt to place a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages on the Aug. 3 ballot, it nonetheless said he has a duty to do so...

High court hears gay marriage amendment dispute (06/02/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Supreme Court barraged attorneys for two of the state's top elected officials with questions Tuesday in considering whether a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriages should go on the statewide ballot in August or November...

Timing of gay marriage vote goes before Supreme Court (06/01/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's top elected officials are accusing each other of flouting the law as they ask the state Supreme Court to decide the timing of an election for a proposed constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage. The state's highest court is to hear arguments today on whether the gay marriage vote should occur in August, as ordered by Democratic Gov. Bob Holden, or whether it must wait until as late as November, as Republican Secretary of State Matt Blunt prefers...

Gay marriage amendment inches forward (05/29/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Legislative leaders formally signed off Friday on a proposed state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, completing another step in the process toward putting it before voters later this year. But it's still unclear exactly when voters will decide the amendment's fate...

Supreme Court sets June 1 hearing on gay marriage vote (05/26/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Supreme Court has scheduled a June 1 hearing on a politically charged dispute over when Missourians will get to vote on a proposed state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The court's order Tuesday also put election authorities on notice that they may have to scramble to assemble ballots, if Democratic state officeholders succeed in placing the measure on the August ballot as opposed to the November vote favored by Republicans...

For same-sex couples, divorce is sought-after benefit (05/23/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- It may not be on their minds as they walk down the aisle in Massachusetts, but along with gifts and toasts, many gay couples are finally getting one of the biggest benefits of matrimony: the ability to obtain a clean divorce. Because their unions were not legally binding, gay couples have had few protections when they split and have had to rely on the inconsistent mercy of judges to obtain alimony, parental rights or a stake in the couple's finances...

Judge rules for Blunt in gay marriage vote; appeal filed (05/22/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A judge ruled Friday that Missouri's secretary of state does not have to set an August election for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage -- a victory for Republicans hoping to decide the issue during the November presidential election...

Holden tries to schedule gay marriage vote for August (05/20/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Democratic Gov. Bob Holden on Wednesday called for an Aug. 3 statewide election on a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Missouri. But Republican Secretary of State Matt Blunt, who oversees elections, suggested Holden was acting prematurely, leaving in doubt when the election will occur...

Opponents of gay marriage hope for election backlash (05/19/04) BOSTON -- With gays and lesbians now legally wed in Massachusetts, foes of gay marriage vowed Tuesday to campaign hard, in state and national elections, for candidates willing to reverse the tide. "It's very difficult, once a right has been claimed in law, to reverse that right, but we're going to try," said the Rev. Christopher Coyne, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston...

Gay couples exchange vows in Massachusetts (05/18/04) BOSTON -- Elated and in some cases incredulous at making history, gays and lesbians by the dozens exchanged vows and were pronounced "partners for life" Monday as Massachusetts became the first state to let same-sex couples marry. The nuptials ranged from quick city-hall ceremonies to ornate weddings in downtown Boston churches, complete with champagne and fancy cakes. ...

Date not yet finalized for vote on same-sex marriage ban (05/18/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri voters will decide this year whether same-sex marriages, which are already prohibited by state law, should be declared unconstitutional as well. When the issue appears on the ballot, however, remains to be determined...

In pews and city squares, Mass. prepares for gay marriages (05/17/04) BOSTON -- Like fans anxious for concert tickets, same-sex couples waited in line for hours Sunday outside Cambridge's City Hall for an event they once thought they'd never get to experience: marriage. Marcia Hams, 56, and her partner, Susan Shepherd, 52, of Cambridge, showed up at midnight Saturday -- a full 24 hours ahead of time -- to stake out the first spot in line where the city clerk was to hand out the nation's first state-sanctioned gay marriage applications...

Court refuses to block gay marriages in Massachusetts (05/15/04) Denise Lavoie The Associated Press BOSTON -- The Supreme Court refused Friday to block Massachusetts from allowing gay marriages beginning Monday, removing the last legal impediment to ...

Delay on gay marriage ban may be political maneuver (04/25/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- At the outset of the this year's legislative session, a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriages seemed to be a slam dunk for quick passage by the Missouri Legislature. Republicans, who control both legislative chambers, made the proposal a top priority, and the Senate passed its version 26-6 on March 1...

House committee discusses gay marriage amendment (04/15/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A gay man pleaded with state legislators Wednesday not to place a ban in the state Constitution that would bar him from marrying his partner of 11 years. The House Committee on Children and Families heard the Senate version of legislation that would ask Missouri voters to define marriage as only between a man and a woman...

Gay marriage is ultimate wedge issue for father and son (04/05/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- When David Knight married his boyfriend of 10 years, his parents were not among the mothers and fathers proudly snapping photos and sipping champagne at San Francisco's City Hall. His mother is long gone, dead of cancer when he was 17. And his father, well his father .....

Gay marriage in Mass. features best, worst of government (03/29/04) BOSTON -- Witnesses to Massachusetts' marathon gay marriage debate have heard the anger of a black senator who grew up in the segregated South. They have heard the fear of a gay lawmaker who felt helpless to protect his sick child. And they have heard the pain of a House member whose vote against gay marriage tore his family apart...

Lawmakers pushing for constitutional ban on gay marriage (03/16/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Whenever he speaks to civic groups in his Southeast Missouri legislative district, state Rep. Kevin Engler says gay marriage is the issue constituents are most fired up about. "People are tolerant in our area, but don't confuse tolerance and respect for people with capitulation to whatever they want to do," said Engler, R-Farmington...

Genesis used by both sides in gay debate (03/13/04) Gay marriage, with all its religious ramifications, is suddenly a hot political issue that will fester for years. Following Massachusetts' court mandate for gay marriages and imitations by some local governments, President Bush decided the Constitution should be amended to define marriage as between one man and one woman. He said society will suffer if wedlock is "severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots" and "millennia of human experience."...

Court halts gay marriage events in San Francisco (03/12/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court ordered an immediate halt to same-sex weddings in San Francisco on Thursday as Massachusetts lawmakers gave preliminary approval to a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages in the only state where they have been ruled legal. ...

Gay marriage licenses may spark criminal charges in N.J. (03/10/04) ASBURY PARK, N.J. -- The day after New Jersey's first gay marriage was performed, the state attorney general Tuesday ordered city officials to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples and performing gay marriages -- or face criminal charges...

Seattle to recognize gay marriages (03/09/04) SEATTLE -- This left-leaning city joined the gay marriage fight Monday, with the mayor announcing that city hall will recognize unions of gay city employees who tie the knot elsewhere and six same-sex couples suing for the right to wed. Mayor Greg Nickels issued an executive order requiring the city to recognize same-sex marriages by municipal employees...

Some gay-rights foes see opportunity amid furor over marriage (03/08/04) NEW YORK -- Even as they issue dire warnings, many longtime opponents of the gay-rights movement are welcoming the furor over same-sex marriage as a chance to expand the audience for their unfavorable views of homosexuality. Activists in this camp -- clergy, conservative lobbyists, men and women who say they moved away from homosexuality through prayer or therapy -- have been dismayed by gay-rights advances in recent years. ...

Blacks divided on gays' civil rights imagery (03/07/04) When small-town Mayor Jason West started presiding over gay weddings, he saw it as nothing short of "the flowering of the largest civil rights movement the country's had in a generation." "The people who would forbid gays from marrying in this country are those who would have made Rosa Parks sit in the back of the bus," said the Green Party mayor of New Paltz, N.Y...

Legal, civil rights arguments fuel gay marriage debate (03/04/04) WASHINGTON -- Saying same-sex marriages are likely to spread across America like a "wildfire," Republican senators, including Majority Leader Bill Frist, exhorted Congress Wednesday to embrace a constitutional amendment banning them. "We simply will not let activist judges redefine that definition of marriage," the Tennessee Republican said at a gathering of anti-gay marriage activists. ...

Mayor charged for marrying gay couples (03/03/04) NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- The village's mayor was charged Tuesday with 19 criminal counts for performing weddings for gay couples, an act of defiance that thrust the small community into the national debate over same-sex marriage. In Oregon, meanwhile, the attorney for Multnomah County, which includes the city of Portland, issued an opinion saying same-sex marriages should be allowed there. ...

State Senate approves amendment banning gay marriages (03/02/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Putting its mark on an issue that has garnered national attention, the state Senate passed a measure Monday that would ask voters to ban gay marriage in the Missouri Constitution. The Senate's 26-6 vote in favor of the proposed constitutional amendment sent the measure to the House, which has yet to debate its own version. If both chambers pass the same proposal, the question would go on the ballot in November...

California Supreme Court refuses request to block gay marriages (02/28/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court declined a request by the state attorney general Friday to immediately shut down San Francisco's gay weddings and nullify the nearly 3,500 marriages already performed. The decision marked yet another setback to conservatives in their fight to block the rush to the altar by gay couples in San Francisco. More than 3,400 couples have tied the knot since the city began issuing marriage licenses two weeks ago, under the directive of Mayor Gavin Newsom...

Gay rights groups won't make same-sex marriage litmus test (02/26/04) WASHINGTON -- Prominent gay rights groups are ready to issue an election-year pass to Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry even though he opposes same-sex marriage, settling for less than they want in hopes of avoiding a constitutional amendment they fear...

State Senate endorses amendment banning gay marriage (02/25/04) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri senators entered the national fray on gay marriage Tuesday, endorsing a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution defining marriage as "only between a man and a woman." The state Senate's preliminary voice vote came on the same day that President Bush urged Congress to pass a similar amendment to the U.S. Constitution and send it to the states...

Missouri Republicans back Bush on gay marriage ban (02/25/04) WASHINGTON -- President Bush's desire for a constitutional ban on gay marriages drew support from Republicans and opposition from a Democrat in Missouri's congressional delegation. Bush on Tuesday called for a constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex marriage, arguing he wants to prevent judges from changing how the "most enduring human institution" is defined. Judges in Massachusetts, city officials in San Francisco and a county in New Mexico all recently backed gay marriage...

Bush urges ban on gay marriage (02/25/04) President Bush urged approval of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages on Tuesday, pushing a divisive social issue to the center of the election campaign and setting a clear policy contrast with Democratic challengers John Kerry and John Edwards...

San Francisco to sue state over gay marriage ban (02/20/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- After sanctioning more than 2,800 gay marriages in the past week, the city said Thursday it is suing the state of California, challenging its ban on same-sex marriages on constitutional grounds. Two judges already are considering challenges from conservative groups seeking to halt the marriage spree that began last Thursday...

Gays and lesbians keep marrying in San Francisco (02/18/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- A judge said Tuesday that San Francisco appears to be violating the law by issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples, but he declined to order an immediate halt to the weddings. A conservative group had asked Judge James Warren to immediately stop the weddings and void the 2,464 same-sex marriages performed in the city since Thursday. Instead, Warren issued a nonbinding cease-and-desist order and told the city to return on March 29 and explain its legal position...

Gay weddings go on in San Francisco (02/17/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- Hundreds of gay men and lesbians lined up outside city hall in heavy rain Monday, hoping to join more than 1,700 other same-sex couples who had exchanged vows with the city's blessing before a court decides whether to halt the unprecedented wedding march...

Same-sex couples plan San Francisco weddings (02/15/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- Gay and lesbian couples from across the country answered this city's Valentine's Day invitation to wed in an unprecedented spree of same-sex marriages that has challenged California law. Hundreds of people lined up Saturday outside city hall to secure marriage licenses -- and then take each other as "spouse for life" in brief vows that have given San Francisco's seat of government the feel of a Las Vegas wedding chapel. ...

Gay marriage finds some conservatives willing to back idea (02/15/04) BOSTON -- In the battle over same-sex marriage, liberals have been front and center, pushing to give gays and lesbians the right to wed. But there is at least a small block of conservatives who are on the same page, often for different reasons: They're loath to tinker with a constitution, for one, or they want to see more people -- gay or straight -- make commitments...

Conservative groups work to block gay marriages (02/14/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- Despite accusations that the mayor is riding roughshod over the law, conservative groups failed to stop San Francisco from issuing same-sex marriage licenses Friday as hundreds more gay couples rushed to tie the knot before the opportunity slipped away...

S.F. officials perform dozens of same-sex marriages (02/13/04) SAN FRANCISCO -- In an open challenge to California law, city authorities performed scores of same-sex weddings Thursday and issued a stack of marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Applause filled the marble passages under City Hall's ornate gold dome as jubilant same-sex couples breezed through brief ceremonies, promising to be "spouse for life" to partners some had loved without marriage for decades...

Gay marriage ban defeated by lawmakers (02/13/04) BOSTON -- Massachusetts lawmakers defeated a ban on gay marriage Thursday, but quickly took up another compromise proposal that would establish civil unions while stripping gay couples of the right to full-fledged marriage. It was the third proposal rejected by lawmakers since the start of the historic session Wednesday. The first two amendments would have allowed for civil unions, while the third was solely an outright ban on gay marriage...

Massachusetts lawmakers reject civil union proposal (02/12/04) BOSTON -- The Massachusetts Legislature narrowly rejected a compromise proposal Wednesday that sought to legalize civil unions but ban same-sex marriages, delivering a setback to lawmakers who wanted to avoid taking the divisive issue head-on. The defeat of the compromise means that lawmakers will return to the Statehouse today to consider either an outright ban on gay marriage or letting the state's constitution remain intact...

Lobbying heats up for gay-marriage ban (02/11/04) BOSTON -- Gay-rights activists, conservative leaders and media from around the globe converged on the Massachusetts Statehouse for a historic session today in which lawmakers will take up a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. As the hours ticked down, Senate leaders feverishly sought a middle ground, proposing a compromise that would ban same-sex marriage but establish civil unions...

Mass. lawmakers divided on amendment banning gay marriages (02/10/04) BOSTON -- An Associated Press survey of Massachusetts lawmakers shows a legislature deeply divided over a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in the state where the nation's first legally sanctioned same-sex weddings could take place as early as May...

Decision by court expands gay rights to wed (02/05/04) BOSTON -- The Massachusetts high court declared Wednesday that gays are entitled to nothing less than marriage and that Vermont-style civil unions will not suffice, setting the stage for the nation's first legally sanctioned same-sex weddings by the spring...

Domestic partner registry opens in Ohio (01/27/04) CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Balloons decorated city hall as unmarried couples, gay and straight, lined up Monday to be among the first to sign up for the city's domestic partner registry, the first in the nation created by voters. Sixteen gay couples, about evenly split between pairs of men and women, signed up during the first hour before the first heterosexual couple got in line, sending up a cheer in the atrium of city hall in this well-to-do Cleveland suburb...

Ohio to enact same-sex marriage ban (01/23/04) COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Senate has approved one of the most far-reaching gay marriage bans in the nation despite charges from some lawmakers that the legislation was mean-spirited and discriminatory. The measure says same-sex marriages are "against the strong public policy of the state," and would prohibit state employees from getting benefits for domestic partners, whether they were gay or unmarried heterosexual couples. ...

Lawmakers seek constitutional ban on gay marriages (12/20/03) Two local state representatives are leading an unprecedented effort to include a heterosexual definition of marriage in the state's constitution. On Friday, Speaker Pro Tem Jason Crowell and House Majority Leader Rod Jetton, both Republicans, made stops throughout Southeast Missouri announcing plans that would put the gay marriage debate to voters in November...

Bush backs amendment banning gay marriage (12/17/03) WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Tuesday that he could support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The Massachusetts Supreme Court last month struck down that state's ban on same-sex marriage, saying it is unconstitutional and giving state lawmakers six months to craft a way for gay couples to wed...