10/05/2012 - Myclipp

USA Today/ - News, Ter, 15 de Maio de 2012
CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL (Civil Rights)
Republicans kills civil unions in U.S.
state
DENVER (AP) – A last-ditch effort by Colorado's
governor to give gay couples in the state rights similar
to married couples failed Monday after Republicans
rejected the proposal during a special legislative
session.
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper had said the
special session was needed to address a
\"fundamental question of fairness and civil rights.\"
The bill's demise was expected by Democrats, who
have begun using the issue as a rallying cry to topple
Republicans in the November elections. Republicans
assigned the bill to House State, Veterans and Military
Affairs Committee, which was likely to reject it. The
panel voted 5-4 along party lines to kill the measure.
\"The gay community is being used as a political
pawn,\" said Republican Rep. Don Coram, whose son
is gay. Coram voted against the measure.
Rep. Mark Ferrandino, the Democrats' leader in the
House and gay lawmaker co-sponsoring civil unions,
sounded a note of optimism before the committee
hearing, even as he braced for the bill's rejection.
\"If it fails this year, we're going to work hard to make
sure the public understands what happened, the
games that were played, and next we're going to push
it again,\" he said. \"And as I've said a number of
times, it's not a matter of 'if,' it's a matter of 'when.' And
the 'when' keeps getting sooner and sooner. This will
happen.\"
House Republicans hold a 33-32 voting advantage, but
there was enough support for civil unions to pass.
Last week, Democrats tried to force Republicans who
control the calendar to bring up the bill for debate. But
it became clear Republicans were filibustering by
unnecessarily talking at length about other bills.
Republicans then halted work for hours, killing the bill
and several others that needed a vote before a key
deadline.
\"Transparency, accountability and the virtues of good
government are compromised when the legislative
clock is used to avoid consideration of important
legislation,\" the governor said in a letter to lawmakers
before the special session started.
The regular session adjourned Wednesday, the same
day an emotional Hickenlooper announced his intent to
call a special session over civil unions and other bills
that died because of the GOP filibuster.
More than a dozen states allow either gay marriage or
civil unions, including several that moved to pass such
laws this year.
The debate in Colorado is playing out at a time when
President Obama became the first U.S. president to
publicly endorse gay marriage. But North Carolina
voters approved a constitutional amendment that bars
civil unions and defines marriage as solely between a
man and a woman.
Earlier Monday, hundreds of supporters wearing red
and waving signs greeted lawmakers returning to
Denver for the special session.
Many of the gay-rights activists predicted the bill's
demise. They urged Democrats to make the civil
unions failure a rallying point for November.
\"For too long Democrats have let the right corner the
market no talking about values. Finally we've claimed
the moral high ground, and we can talk about that,\"
said activist Wiley Sherer, who was selling buttons that
read, \"Ignorance is forgivable. Pride in ignorance
never is.\"
Undeterred by the civil unions delay, Sherer said, \"It's
going to happen eventually. I mean, there's no way in
10 years we don't have nationwide marriage
equality.\"
Conservatives, who argue civil unions undermine
traditional marriage, portrayed the special session as a
waste of taxpayer money. As they have before,
Republicans described the measure as a proposal for
gay marriage, rather than civil unions.
Civil unions would grant gay couples rights similar to
married couples, including letting partners make
medical decisions for each other. The protections also
would enhance parental and inheritance rights.
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