State lawmakers plan to hear testimony next week about whether West Virginia should change its constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- State lawmakers plan to hear testimony next week about whether West Virginia should change its constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
In March, Republicans in the House of Delegates tried to force a floor vote on a bipartisan resolution calling for a statewide referendum to define marriage. Democrats blocked their attempts.
Legislators later voted to have an interim committee study the amendment issue. Now a meeting has been set for 11 a.m. July 14 in the Senate Judiciary Committee room.
Family Policy Council of West Virginia President Jeremiah Dys and a representative of the Alliance Defense Fund -- a conservative organization that says it seeks to "aggressively defend religious liberty" -- will speak in favor of the amendment, Dys said.
"We're thankful that the Legislature is setting aside time to carefully study this issue," he said. "To my knowledge, this is the first time the West Virginia Legislature has ever officially discussed the Marriage Protection Amendment."
Fairness West Virginia board President Stephen Skinner and a representative of the ACLU of West Virginia will speak against a constitutional amendment, Skinner said.
"I think it's important to get out there and have some of these conversations in a public way," Skinner said. "Lesbian and gay people are not threatening quote-unquote traditional marriage."
Skinner said public opinion -- particularly among Americans under age 30 -- is rapidly shifting toward acceptance of same-sex marriage. He added that West Virginia already has a Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the state from recognizing gay marriages performed elsewhere.
"We shouldn't be wasting our money trying to ban something in West Virginia that's already banned under statute," Skinner said.
Opponents of same-sex marriage say that law could be struck down in courts. In April, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that state's Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional.
Also in April, Vermont legislators legalized same-sex marriage, and the Washington, D.C., City Council voted to recognize such marriages performed in other jurisdictions. In May, New Hampshire and Maine lawmakers voted to approve gay marriage in those states.
"The people of West Virginia should be the ones defining marriage," Dys said. "Not politicians and not judges."
Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- State lawmakers plan to hear testimony next week about whether West Virginia should change its constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
In March, Republicans in the House of Delegates tried to force a floor vote on a bipartisan resolution calling for a statewide referendum to define marriage. Democrats blocked their attempts.
Legislators later voted to have an interim committee study the amendment issue. Now a meeting has been set for 11 a.m. July 14 in the Senate Judiciary Committee room.
Family Policy Council of West Virginia President Jeremiah Dys and a representative of the Alliance Defense Fund -- a conservative organization that says it seeks to "aggressively defend religious liberty" -- will speak in favor of the amendment, Dys said.
"We're thankful that the Legislature is setting aside time to carefully study this issue," he said. "To my knowledge, this is the first time the West Virginia Legislature has ever officially discussed the Marriage Protection Amendment."
Fairness West Virginia board President Stephen Skinner and a representative of the ACLU of West Virginia will speak against a constitutional amendment, Skinner said.
"I think it's important to get out there and have some of these conversations in a public way," Skinner said. "Lesbian and gay people are not threatening quote-unquote traditional marriage."
Skinner said public opinion -- particularly among Americans under age 30 -- is rapidly shifting toward acceptance of same-sex marriage. He added that West Virginia already has a Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the state from recognizing gay marriages performed elsewhere.
"We shouldn't be wasting our money trying to ban something in West Virginia that's already banned under statute," Skinner said.
Opponents of same-sex marriage say that law could be struck down in courts. In April, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that state's Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional.
Also in April, Vermont legislators legalized same-sex marriage, and the Washington, D.C., City Council voted to recognize such marriages performed in other jurisdictions. In May, New Hampshire and Maine lawmakers voted to approve gay marriage in those states.
"The people of West Virginia should be the ones defining marriage," Dys said. "Not politicians and not judges."
Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.
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If you have nothing of value to say, why do you feel the need to troll? Was this an honest attempt at humor? Sad.
I'm all for vigorous debate on this (or just about any) topic, but comments like yours are simply idiotic. When a dog can give legal consent for sex or agree to marriage, let me know. Until then, your juvenile comments add nothing to the discussion.