Bill Seeks to Ban Same-Sex Marriage in Louisiana

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/news/html/6EEAA14C-1B99-4B60-87AC-5F31126FE750.shtml ^ | 05-04-04 | Hasten, Mike

[Theodore R.]

BATON ROUGE -- If the Louisiana Legislature doesn't take steps to ban gay marriages in Louisiana, God will, a number of preachers said Monday at a rally supporting proposals to preserve "the sanctity of marriage."

Senate Bill 166 by Sen. John Hainkel, R-New Orleans, an amendment banning same-sex marriage, is set for a hearing today in the Senate Judiciary A Committee.

[Theodore R.]

we live in a democracy,

Mr. Daigle was absent from school the day it was taught that the word "democracy" is not in the Constitution of the United States.

[T'wit]

Would same sex marriages be banned even if they're first cousins???

[The kings dead]

And if we did live in a democracy, democratically elected legislators will be considering the bill, so there'd be no problem. Mr. Daigle hasn't the slightest clue what he's talking about; he's just parroting from a semiliterate script.

[Theodore R.]

Here is Gannett's update on the issue:

BATON ROUGE - State senators supporting a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages say they're not confident that Louisiana's explicit law doing the same thing would stand up to a court challenge, so it needs constitutional protection.

With a 5-2 vote, the Senate Judiciary A Committee endorsed SB 166 by Sen. John Hainkel, R-New Orleans, and sent the constitutional amendment to the full Senate for a vote.

Debate on the issue was sometimes emotional with ministers citing scriptures and buttressing their support of the measure by issuing warnings of the homosexual society forcing its way of life on others and college students saying they'll leave the state if the "gay bashing" amendment is enacted.

Rebecca Hebert of Lafayette, a sophomore at Louisiana State University, told the committee she stayed in Louisiana because of a TOPS scholarship, and "I would like to stay here and give something back. But I can't and probably won't if you further engrain hatred and bigotry by putting it in the constitution."

Sen. Bob Kostelka, R-Monroe, who voted for the proposal, said the debate supplied "good arguments of why we need a national amendment to the constitution."

He said marriage "recognizes the simple fact that the union of a man and woman is to propagate the species" and adopting the constitutional amendment was "protecting a fundamental concept - the morality of marriage."

"I have a son who died of AIDS," Kostelka said. "I love my son; I cherish him. But, as I told him, I could never accept his lifestyle."

Hainkel said he had "no intention whatsoever of bashing anyone on either side of the spectrum" but is concerned that the state law could be overthrown.

LSU Law Center professors Katherine Spaht and Randy Trahan supported Hainkel's contention.

Spaht said a Texas court decision "places our marriage statutes at risk" and since polls show more than two-thirds support for a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage, it should be enacted. "Someone is going to decide this issue. The question is, 'Who is it going to be?'"

Under questioning, though, Spaht acknowledged that if challenged, "the constitutional amendment might not ultimately stand," especially if there is a U.S. Supreme Court challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Christopher Daigle, political director of the Louisiana League for Equality, told the committee that he knows of no one who would challenge the current Louisiana law banning gay marriages because it is so specific and the legislative intent is spelled out clearly in the law books.

He objects to Hainkel's proposal, though, because it is "enshrining discrimination into the constitution," he said. "The constitution should not be used to single out one group. What unpopular group will be next? Game cocks and hogs are getting more protection in this session than gay families.""

Legislation is being debated to outlaw cockfighting and hog dog rodeos, in which a pack of pit bulls is released to attack a penned-in hog.

The Rev. Thomas Faulk, pastor of the Lafayette First Assembly of God Church, said he counsels couples and "I have never had a positive encounter with a same-sex couple."

The Rev. William Maestri of New Orleans, representing the Louisiana Catholic Conference and the Diocese of New Orleans, told the committee the amendment is needed because "traditional marriage and family life is greatly weakened in society today."

However, opponents, including Sens. Cleo Fields and Kip Holden of Baton Rouge, said putting such a ban into the constitution is not going to strengthen marriage. Both said they support the state law but see no need to "clutter" the constitution.

Daigle said that if the Senate wants to strengthen traditional marriages, it should outlaw divorce and promiscuity. He said he is tired of "gay people being the scapegoat of failed marriages."

Before approving Hainkel's bill, the committee adopted amendments proposed by Hainkel to take out language banning same-sex marriages within an Indian tribe because the state has no authority to do that.