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Newsbreak: Hawaii ruling (2)
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Gay marriage ruling stirs emotional reactions
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Copyright ) 1996 Nando.net
Copyright ) 1996 Reuter Information Service
WASHINGTON (Dec 4, 1996 00:06 a.m. EST) - Gay rights groups Tuesday
hailed a decision by a Hawaii judge legalizing same-sex marriages, but
the ruling prompted an outburst of emotional reactions from
conservative groups.
Judge Kevin Chang ruled that same-sex marriages are legal, making the
state the first in America to recognize that gay and lesbian couples
are entitled to the same privileges as heterosexual married couples.
"This decision is one small but crucial step in a long march toward
civil equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people,"
said Kerry Lobel, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force.
Chang found that the Hawaiian state government had failed to establish
a "compelling state interest" to justify the prohibition against
same-sex marriages.
"It proves what our community has said all along: there are no
intelligent reasons why same-gender couples should be denied the right
to marry," Lobel said.
Robert Knight, director cultural studies at Family Research Council,
criticized the ruling and said Chang should be removed from office.
"This is part of a continuing pattern in America in which activist
judges with a sweep of the pen overturn laws and initiatives that have
the support of the people. It's judicial arrogance and tyranny,"
Knight said.
He said homosexuality was "unhealthy and destructive. That's why
society discourages its practice...just as drug use and alcohol abuse
are discouraged."
"The Hawaii decision is an outrage. We're extremely disappointed that
Hawaii chose to unravel a 6,000-year-old institution of marriage
consisting of a man and a woman," said Jay Sekulow, chief council of
the American Center for Law and Justice.
Sekulow, whose group represented eight Hawaii state legislators who
opposed same-sex marriages in the case, predicted many further legal
battles on the issue.
"The issue of same-sex marriage has become the championship bout of
legal battles involving the family," he said. "This issue -- and the
Hawaii decision -- strike at the core of who we are as a people in
this country."
Evan Wolfson of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc,
which represented the plaintiffs in the Hawaii case, said the decision
marked a historic moment.
"This case made a major breakthrough toward ending second-class status
for gay families. This decision marks the beginning of the end to sex
discrimination in marriage," Wolfson said in a statement.
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