Missouri’s first openly gay senator married over weekend

Jolie Justus, Missouri’s first openly gay senator, took her seat on the Senate floor as a married woman for the first time Monday.

But Justus’ marriage isn’t recognized in Missouri because of a 2004 constitutional amendment overwhelmingly approved by voters and legislators alike that mandates a marriage is between one man and one woman.

“Missouri is not ready for same-sex marriage,” Justus said Monday, though she also said she was “overwhelmed” with congratulations upon returning to work.

Justus and her partner, Shonda Garrison, were among 17 couples that traveled on a bus over the weekend to get married in Iowa, the state that most recently legalized same-sex marriages.

“I’ve been fighting, as everybody knows, for equality for years now, and it would mean a lot to them to have us on the bus,” said Justus, D-Jackson County. “And to my partner and me personally, it meant a lot for us to be on the bus, too, because we wanted to have that moment with those 16 other couples, and I’m glad that we did.”

Some senators who voted for the 2004 amendment banning same-sex marriage declined to comment on the recent nuptials. Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, said: “I’m not going to respond to it.”

Missouri’s first openly gay senator married over weekend

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Paterson Wants Public Debates on Gay Marriage

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson has been saying that a bill legalizing same-sex marriage should come to a vote in the State Senate even if the measure does not have enough support to pass.

But is this really a good thing for gay rights advocates, a constituency that Mr. Paterson has solidly supported for most of his political career?

Mr. Paterson’s logic, which he explained in separate radio interviews on Thursday morning, is that the public deserves to see where their elected officials stand on an issue as sensitive as same-sex marriage. The bill should be debated on the Senate floor, senators should be forced to take a public position on it, and they should vote it up or down, he said.

“I’m going to put the bill out and just let people fight it out,” Mr. Paterson said in an appearance on the Buffalo station WGR-AM (550). “I would like to see the Legislature just debate the bills that people think are controversial.”

In an earlier appearance on WHAM-AM (1180), Mr. Paterson did not seem concerned that the bill could lose. “If it loses, it loses,” he said. “And let the parties on both sides have their say.”

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Paterson Wants Public Debates on Gay Marriage

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson has been saying that a bill legalizing same-sex marriage should come to a vote in the State Senate even if the measure does not have enough support to pass.

But is this really a good thing for gay rights advocates, a constituency that Mr. Paterson has solidly supported for most of his political career?

In an earlier appearance on WHAM-AM (1180), Mr. Paterson did not seem concerned that the bill could lose. “If it loses, it loses,” he said. “And let the parties on both sides have their say.”

See Paterson Wants Public Debates on Gay Marriage

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Hawaii Senators Hesitate On Rescue Of Gay Civil Unions

Hawaii senators who had vowed to rescue a stranded gay civil unions bill from a deadlocked committee and pass it this legislative session have begun to backpeddle.

House Bill 444, which would grant gay and lesbian couples all the rights of marriage, was marooned on February 25 when it deadlocked on a 3-3 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The final tally came after a grueling 18 hour marathon hearing session that ended at 3AM.

Even before the votes were in Senate leaders had begun discussing the possibility of rescuing the bill out of committee for a full vote on the Senate floor. The bill sailed through the House on a 33 to 17 vote. See Hawaii Senators Hesitate On Rescue Of Gay Civil Unions

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