Marriage Reservations

Whether marriage will be reserved for men and women or expanded to include same sex couples may soon be decided by the courts. Since May, attorneys for homosexual couples have sued the states of Massachusetts and New Jersey for denying them marriage licenses. Last week, the Episcopal Bishop of Kansas became the first in his denomination to approve religious rites for same-sex unions.

The lead plantiffs in the New Jersey lawsuit are two Episcopal ministers who are partners. Gay activists hope the state's Supreme Court - one of the nation's most liberal - will rule that their relationship is protected by the state constitution.

They'll argue it on a civil rights basis and link it to the rights of blacks, but the two are different. One is about race, which no one can change. The other is about behavior, which can be changed.

Originally published July 18, 2002.