N.Y Town's Mayor Performs Same-Sex Weddings
UPDATED: 6:14 pm EST February 27,
2004
Around a dozen gay couples started exchanging wedding vows Friday in the village of New Paltz, N.Y.
The ceremonies were presided over by Mayor Jason West, who pledged to hold the weddings even though state officials warned he may be breaking the law.The move opens another front in the growing national battle over gay marriages.Two men were the first to wed to the cheers of hundreds of onlookers outside the village hall.The mayor says America is witnessing "the flowering of the largest civil rights movement the country's had in a generation."But there are questions over the legality of the ceremonies, since the village clerk didn't issue marriage licenses. State officials had warned that New York doesn't allow the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. It also said New York courts have recognized only marriages between a man and a woman as valid.The officials issued a statement saying any municipal clerk who issues a marriage license outside of these guidelines -- and anyone who officiates such marriages -- would be violating state law.West says he believes the marriages will still be legal, based on the opinions of lawyers he's talked to.Some legal experts say the law doesn't specifically ban such weddings. West won office last year on the Green Party line.
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
|
California Courts
Meanwhile, California's attorney general was taking the gay-marriage issue to the state Supreme Court Friday.Bill Lockyer is under orders from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to take "immediate steps" to stop the parade of gay marriages in San Francisco.Thousands of same-sex couples have gotten married over the past two weeks since Mayor Gavin Newsom declared a ban violates the state constitution. Those who have married include entertainer Rosie O'Donnell.Lockyer will ask the court for a clarification about whether San Francisco's action violates state law. Lower courts have refused to put a stop to the marriages.In March 2000, Californians passed a proposition that defines marriage as an institution between a man and a woman. San Francisco contends that law is superseded by the constitution's equal protection clause.Bush: Driving Toward 'Ideal'
Earlier this week, President George W. Bush called for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as an institution involving a man and a woman. He said Friday that marriage between a man and a woman is the ideal and it's his job to "drive policy toward the ideal."However, Bush declined to say how same-sex weddings harm traditional ones.In calling for the amendment, he cited the actions in San Francisco -- as well as a court ruling in Massachusetts that denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples violates that state's Constitution -- for driving the need to add clarity to the issue.Some members of Congress, including Republican leaders, suggested that Congress may not move quickly on the idea, however. Previous Stories:
- February 26, 2004: Congress May Not Move Quickly On Marriage Amendment
- February 25, 2004: Same-Sex Amendment Needed For Clarity, Bush Says
- February 20, 2004: Judge Refuses To Halt SF Gay Marriages For Now
- February 18, 2004: Gay Congressman Worries About Same-Sex Marriages
- February 17, 2004: Judge Gives San Francisco Deadline On Gay Marriages
- February 15, 2004: Gay Marriage Rush Continues In San Francisco
- February 13, 2004: San Francisco Issues More Marriage Licenses To Gays
- February 12, 2004: Two Women Marry Each Other In San Francisco
- February 12, 2004: Mass. Prepares For 2nd Day Of Gay-Marriage Debate
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Authorities release a chilling 911 call from a 19-year-old woman who hid in the back bedroom of a Central Florida home while four men attempted to break into the house.
An ex-wife of the man who found the remains of Caylee Anthony says that she thought her ex-husband was responsible for or involved in the girl's death.
Five people are confirmed dead after a mobile home fire broke out and the roof collapsed.
Officials question the credibility of a female deputy who called 911 in September to report a masked man had attacked her.
John Travolta and his family made their first public appearance in their adopted Florida hometown since his son's death, helping raise thousands of dollars for charity at a screening of the actor's new comedy Friday night.
Dashcam video shows a Florida woman offering an officer sex instead of getting a ticket.
South Carolina police say an obese man died after not moving from his recliner for the past eight months. Police say the man's body was physically stuck to the chair and firefighters had to cut him out. He died a few hours later at the hospital.
A woman tired of hearing her son say he lost another sock has come up with an idea to prevent it from happening again.
A Nebraska man says romance turned to revenge when he was victimized by his girlfriend and then exposed on Facebook. 
It really works! An Iowa man makes a Halloween costume that switches from robot to truck in seconds.
Thirty Victoria's Secret supermodels take over New York's Times Square this week.
Take a quick look at the flicks headed to your multiplex. Check out the trailer, too.
Get your daily dose of the cute and unusual right here.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
