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Sebastopol and FL City Support, Explore Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

by Fidel Ortega for 365gay
Two more cities on opposite sides of the country have joined a growing list of communities calling for legalized same-sex marriage and an end to attempts to amend the US Constitution to bar gay unions. In California, Sebastopol city council passed similar motions, urging the Sonoma County clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples and asking the Board of Supervisors to support civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

More Cities Call For Legal Gay Marriage
by Fidel Ortega
365Gay.com Newscenter
Miami Bureau

Posted: March 17, 2004 11:03 a.m. ET

(Key West, Florida) Two more cities on opposite sides of the country have joined a growing list of communities calling for legalized same-sex marriage and an end to attempts to amend the US Constitution to bar gay unions.

Key West city council Tuesday night passed resolutions condemning President Bush for supporting the amendment, and calling on the county clerk to explore ways of issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The move is largely symbolic. Florida has a so-called Defense of Marriage law defining marriage as a union between a man and woman, and county clerk Danny Kolhage said he is bound by that law.

Nevertheless, council's support was welcomed with cheers and applause by about 200 members the city's huge gay population who turned out for the council meeting.

''Every movement has a start, and a lot of times it's controversial,'' Key West Mayor Jimmy Weekley said. "We're joining in to assure the civil rights of all Americans. We need to be a spearhead of this movement. This is just simply the right thing to do.''

In California, Sebastopol city council passed similar motions, urging the Sonoma County clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples and asking the Board of Supervisors to support civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

The resolution also stated Sebastopol's opposition to a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage, calling it "discriminatory against gay and lesbian families."

"This nation was founded on law-breakers," said Councilman Larry Robinson, responding to the comments of a few residents who opposed the resolution on grounds that it is against state law. "Supporting love in all of its forms, in all of its expressions, is what we have to choose."

Last week, San Jose agreed to extend full spousal benefits to same-sex city employees who got married in San Francisco.

©365Gay.com® 2004

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