UPDATES ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE GEORGIA AND BEYOND
Thursday, March 04, 2004

Many of you have been watching to see the out come of the vote on same-sex marriage in Georgia. After a very successful rally at the Georgia State Capitol to uphold traditional marriage between a man and a woman, Senate Resolution 595, which would amend the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, was sent back to the Rule’s Committee to be placed back on the House Rules calendar for another vote. However, as the calendar is taking shape, it appears the vote will not take place before sometime today or maybe later.

Two black members of the Georgia State House of Representatives have made
the decision to support Senate Resolution 595 – the marriage Amendment. Representative Sharon-Beasley-Teague said she does not accept the argument by some black lawmakers that gay marriage rises to the level of a civil rights issue. And she said she does not believe a Constitutional same-sex marriage ban is discriminatory. Continuing she said: “I’m black because that’s the way I was born, and I can’t change it. I don’t know what made them gay. I just know the kind of person that I am is based on the family values given to me by my parents.”  The rally and the turn out of citizens and Christian church groups
from all over the state has been a real encouragement.

Seeing two men and two women married in other cities has been a real wake up call! Even now as the mayor of New York faces charges of conducting same-sex marriages, Oregon’s law is being challenged as licenses are being issued to homosexual couples in Portland, Oregon.

In Multnomah County Oregon, Judge Linda Bergman said she would schedule and perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. As I have said earlier, San Francisco, under Mayor Gavin Newsome, issued the first officially sanctioned marriage licenses to 3,400 same-sex couples in American history on February 12. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said on national television Monday night that it would be (and I quote) “fine with me” if state law were changed to permit same-sex marriages.

Many of you listening to my voice made calls to your State Representatives and
many of you came to Atlanta to the rally. Thank you. If the vote is post-poned please continue to call. This issue, friends, is of the utmost importance for our families and our future. For email address and phone numbers of State Representatives call 404 656-0202, and pray for the success of this critical constitutional amendment.