The Mayor of San Francisco has just legalized gay marriage. Will this hold up in court? I doubt it. But this article seems to say there’s at least a chance.
Meanwhile, the president looks set to endorse a version of the FMA. This story also reports that minor wording changes making it clear that state legislatures could enact civil unions or weaker domestic partnership legislation will probably be added by Congress. Significantly, the head of the Family Research Council indicates acceptance of a more moderate amendment–while also noting (correctly) that civil unions can still be opposed on the state level.
John Kerry is treading cautiously on this issue, as Massachusetts Democrats try to give him a way to endorse a state marriage amendment. A Kerry endorsement for an amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman would be a huge political gamble. The move may or may not defuse his earlier vote as only one of fourteen Senators against the federal Defense of Marriage Act. It could well be dismissed as crass political maneuvering, and enrage Kerry’s base besides. The fact that he is even considering an endorsement is a measure of the difficulty this issue presents for him.
Across the country, as many as sixteen states may soon be considering amendments to their state constitutions defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.