Alaskan Gov. Tony Knowles Monday (5-6) refused to veto a bill outlawing same-sex marriage in the state, adding Alaska to the list of states banning gay and lesbian marriages. Like lawmakers in Utah and South Dakota where same-sex marriages are also banned, Alaska lawmakers fear having to provide spousal benefits for residents who might go to Hawaii to get married if such unions are legalized there.
In Congress, Reps. Bob Barr (R-Ga.), Steve Largent (R-Okla.) and F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) planned a Wednesday (5-8) news conference to introduce a piece of legislation that would define marriage in federal law as a “legal union between one man and one woman.” The a draft of the bill, titled the “Defense of Marriage Act” was circulated in Congress on Tuesday. The bill would also allow states to reject the legality of same-sex marriages performed in another state. The Human Rights Campaign condemned both actions as election-year political ploys.
