Across
the
country,
gay
marriage
opponents
and
proponents
are
gearing
up
for
serious
battle
as
voters
in
up
to
13
states
may
weigh
constitutional
amendments
this
year.
The
first
state
to
take
the
marriage
test
will
be
Missouri
on
Tuesday.
Louisiana
follows
in
September,
with
the
bulk
of
states,
including
Georgia,
deciding
on
Nov.
2.
To
date,
other
states
where
voters
will
decide
whether
to
include
a
gay
marriage
ban
in
their
constitutions
are
Arkansas,
Kentucky,
Michigan,
Mississippi,
Montana,
Oklahoma,
Oregon
and
Utah,
according
to
the
Human
Rights
Campaign.
Ballot
measures
are
also
likely
in
Michigan
and
Ohio,
though
petition
drives
are
still
under
review
by
state
officials.
A
petition
drive
to
put
a
marriage
ban
on
the
ballot
in
North
Dakota
is
due
Aug.
3.
States
that
may
consider
gay
marriage
measures
in
2005
include
Wisconsin,
Pennsylvania,
Tennessee
and
Massachusetts.
Whether
the
results
of
Missouri’s
Aug.
3
vote
will
affect
outcomes
in
the
other
states
is
pure
speculation,
political
observers
say.
But
those
in
favor
of
the
Missouri
constitutional
amendment
said
their
state
can
make
a
significant
statement
to
the
nation
should
voters
approve
the
ban.
“We’re
trying
very
hard
to
make
a
positive
statement
from
America’s
heartland
that
we
value
traditional
marriage
and
we
don’t
want
to
see
it
thrown
in
the
trash
heap
of
history,”
said
Vicky
Hartzler,
spokesperson
for
the
Coalition
to
Protect
Marriage
in
Missouri
and
a
former
Republican
state
representative.
Missouri
already
has
a
law
banning
same-sex
marriages,
but
Hartzler
said
a
constitutional
amendment
is
needed
to
prevent
“judicial
attacks.”
“We
need
to
do
everything
we
can
to
shore
up
our
constitution,”
she
said.
For
those
against
the
state
ballot
initiatives,
Missouri
is
no
clear
bellwether.
“We
think
that
the
tone
of
the
presidential
race
will
affect
other
states
far
more
than
what
happens
in
Missouri,”
said
Rea
Carey,
deputy
executive
director
of
the
National
Gay
&
Lesbian
Task
Force.
“While
Missouri
is
first
out
of
the
box,
each
state
is
different
…
and
it
is
no
coincidence
that
the
ballot
initiatives
are
in
battleground
states
for
the
presidency.”
HRC
has
paid
for
four
organizers
to
be
on
the
ground
in
Missouri
and
contributed
close
to
$100,000
to
defeat
the
amendment,
said
Seth
Kilbourn,
national
field
organizer
for
HRC.
In
Georgia,
gay
civil
rights
activists
say
the
proposed
constitutional
amendment
is
a
way
to
motivate
gay
citizens
to
organize
and
become
more
involved
in
the
political
process
—
win
or
lose.
“The
most
important
thing
we
must
do
is
tell
our
story,
get
the
facts
out
and
do
our
best
to
persuade
people
they
should
not
cement
discrimination
into
the
constitutions,”
said
Allen
Thornell,
former
executive
director
of
Georgia
Equality
and
now
deputy
regional
political
director
of
the
Service
Employees
International
Union
in
Atlanta.
The
Federal
Marriage
Amendment
—
a
proposed
change
to
the
U.S.
Constitution
defining
marriage
as
only
between
a
man
and
a
woman
—
lost
on
a
procedural
vote
in
the
Senate
earlier
this
month.
But
Gary
Bauer,
chair
of
Campaign
for
Working
Families
and
a
former
presidential
candidate,
plans
to
watch
closely
what
happens
in
the
states.
“This
issue
of
marriage
ought
to
be
decided
by
people
rather
than
judges,”
he
said.
“I’m
in
favor
of
states
using
as
many
different
approaches
as
they
can
to
try
to
make
sure
that
they’re
not
forced
by
some
court
ruling
[on
gay
marriage].
Whether
or
not
they
will
hold
up
in
court
remains
to
be
seen.”
Gay
civil
rights
supporters
in
Missouri
understand
all
eyes
will
be
on
them
come
Aug.
3.
“We’re
kind
of
the
pioneers,”
said
Barbara
Woodruff,
a
spokesperson
for
the
Constitution
Defense
League
in
St.
Louis.
“And
this
Saturday
we’re
planning
a
massive
get-out-the-vote
drive.”
Recent
polls
by
the
Kansas
City
Star
and
St.
Louis-Post
Dispatch
show
most
voters
in
favor
of
a
gay
marriage
ban
in
Missouri.
“We
are
very
encouraged
with
our
progress
so
far,
but
we
are
not
taking
victory
for
granted,”
Hartzler
said.
No
one
state
can
truly
be
a
barometer
for
what
will
happen
in
the
others,
but
the
one
definite
outcome
is
that
gay
men
and
lesbians
will
face
losses
at
the
polls,
according
to
Evan
Wolfson,
author
of
“Why
Marriage
Matters:
America,
Equality
and
Gay
People’s
Right
to
Marry.”
“Clearly,
we
will
take
some
hits,”
he
said.
Wolfson
serves
as
executive
director
of
Freedom
to
Marry,
a
national
organization
working
to
secure
equal
marriage
rights
for
gay
couples.
“This
is
all
very
terrible,
very
painful
for
the
families
involved,
but
those
states
are
not
alone
—
they
are
all
part
of
a
national
dialogue,”
Wolfson
said.
“It
is
shameful
our
opponents
are
so
reckless
with
the
...
