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(Nashville, Tennessee) A bill that would have
barred gays and lesbians from adopting or serving as foster parents died
Wednesday in committee.
Last week, the legislation was gutted by a House
subcommittee, removing all restrictions on gay parenting but stating that
heterosexual married couples should be given preference. (story)
But today, when the measure came before the Children and Family Affairs Committee
the bill's main sponsor, Rep. Chris Clem (R-Lookout Mountain), insisted that gay
ban be reinserted.
When that was done, the committee voted 11 - 9 to
defeat it.
Clem said he was not surprised, because Democrats hold a
majority in the House.
"That's the way it's going to be in the House of Representatives when
you have the leadership that runs this House," he said.
"Even when you have a bill that would easily get 70 percent of
the votes on the House floor, if the leadership doesn't want it passed, they
won't even let it come up for a vote." The
defeat of the bill pleased gay activists bracing for a Thursday House vote on a
proposed amendment to the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
The measure is expected to pass and go to voters
in 2006.
But, it has brought together two unlikely groups
in opposing it.
Both the Tennessee Equality Project, which
promotes gay rights in the state, and the Family Policy Network of Tennessee,
and evangelical group, are opposed to the amendment.
TEP supports marriage rights for gays but the Family Policy Network
is opposed because it says the amendment doesn't go far enough.
Both groups say they will mount campaigns to
convince voters to reject it next November.
Tennessee already has a so-called defense of
marriage law. Supporters of the amendment say that they must prevent gay marriages allowed by
courts in other states from being recognized in Tennessee by judges who could rule the
existing law unconstitutional.
''We've asked our supporters to pray that it be pulled or defeated,'' said
Ron Shank, Tennessee director for the Family Policy Network.
Shank says the only way his group would support
an amendment would be if it blocked civil unions and denied other types of same-gender contracts.
©365Gay.com 2005
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