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Posted on 03/09/2004 7:34:49 PM PST by CounterCounterCulture
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Legislators in San Jose, California, the center of Silicon Valley, agreed on Tuesday night to recognize gay marriage licenses granted by San Francisco and other cities.
The 8-1 vote by the city council after hours of debate follows an order on Monday by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels to give city employees in same-sex marriages the same benefits as heterosexual marriages.
"We believe it is right and just that employee benefits provided to spouses of city employees should be applied evenhandedly in accordance with our firm and successful commitment to ending bias and discrimination in the workplace," San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales said in a memo to the city council.
"Unless court decisions later rule against the legality of same-sex marriages from San Francisco or other areas of the nation, we must treat all our employees equally."
Gonzales referred to a petition to the California Supreme Court by the state attorney general seeking to end gay marriages in San Francisco. About 3,700 same-sex couples have tied the knot in the liberal gay rights center in the past month.
State law defines marriage as a union of a man and a woman, but San Francisco is arguing that gay marriage should be permitted under the equal rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
The San Jose mayor said the issue arose after a city employee recently married in San Francisco was not able to enroll her spouse in the employee benefits program.
Several other cities including Portland, Oregon, have issued same-sex wedding licenses since San Francisco's move, prompting a growing number of lawsuits and political debates. President Bush, who is seeking to win reelection in November, has called for a constitutional ban on homosexual marriage.
Manuel Ramos
A move to recognize same-sex marriages in San Jose brought out strong feelings in the South Bay Tuesday.
San Jose is not performing marriages for gay and lesbian couples. Instead, the city council simply agreed to recognize the unions that were licensed in San Francisco.
But some in San Jose feel that their city should stay out of the issue.
"If you're going to legalize same-sex marriage, you might as well legalize marriage between animals," one protestor said.
The issue came up when some gays and lesbians who work for the city of San Jose went to San Francisco and got married. Openly gay city council member Ken Yeager proposed giving the couples the same legal rights and benefits as other married employees, and he was backed by Mayor Ron Gonzales.
"These marriages do exist," said Gonzales. "They are legal until otherwise told by the courts. And if they are legal they have the rights to employee benefits like anyone else."
The city does not know how many of its employees have entered into same-sex marriages, or what the ultimate cost could be to taxpayers. But some cited the price-tag as one argument against the proposal.
"How many firefighters are you going to have to lay off to promote this special interest and do the popular political thing of the day?" said Craig Sturges. "This is not San Francisco and this is not Gavin Newsom."
But the council also heard from citizens who backed the measure Tuesday.
"You make me proud to be from San Jose," said Joe Pambianco. "I hope the rest of the council will have the political courage to pass this measure."
RACHEL KONRAD
Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose became the first city in California to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, although the decision only applies to municipal workers.
The city council defied objections from conservatives and voted 8-1 Tuesday to pass a motion that could provide more comprehensive health and retirement benefits to partners and family members of gay and lesbian city workers who get married in San Francisco or other cities that allow same-sex marriages.
San Jose already provides domestic-partner benefits to 49 gay and lesbian workers. Seattle also has decided to recognize same-sex marriage licenses granted in other cities.
The motion was drafted by San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and openly gay council member Ken Yeager. It's unclear whether health care providers will also agree to extend the benefits.
Over 400 residents crowded into council chambers and more than 200 were in overflow seating downstairs, including dozens of outspoken Christians who brought copies of the Bible and quoted scriptures. More than 100 people addressed council members, and roughly three out of four speakers said they were opposed to same-sex marriage.
"I don't live my life in fear of my God," Gonzales said in response to a resident who compared California to Sodom, the ancient city that God destroyed for its wickedness. "I hope when I have the opportunity to meet my God ... he or she will say, 'Good job.'"
City worker Tina Salas, 46, a lesbian who got married last month in San Francisco, said she deserved the same rights as other married city workers. Her attempt to change her marital status and get health benefits for her partner's biological children sparked the debate.
The city provides medical coverage to her spouse, Kathleen Chavez Salas, but the couple pays hundreds of dollars per month to insure the children. Unlike opposite-sex married couples, Salas' pension would not have automatically passed to her spouse when she died before this resolution passed.
"All I want to do is take care of my family," Tina Salas said. "When I leave this earth, I don't want a hospital to tell my spouse and kids to leave my side because they don't have the rights and benefits to be there."
Even though the measure passed overwhelmingly, most speakers were opposed. Many had harsh words for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, whose administration began sanctioning same-sex marriages Feb. 12.
The licenses are being challenged in the courts. A voter-approved state initiative in 2000 declared that California recognizes only marriages between a man and a woman.
"I actually resent the term 'marriage' that's been used up here - I call them 'Newsom unions' because it's something between marriage and civil unions, but it's not the law," said Don Jones, a white-haired San Jose resident who said he favored civil unions. "I'm not anti-homosexual, but I am for traditional marriage that made this country strong."
Larry Shoemaker quoted an Old Testament verse and brought a flashlight to council chambers because, he said, an earthquake and power outage would strike if the city recognized same-sex marriage. Shoemaker said he'd been fearing retribution since 1976, when he moved closer to "the fruits and nuts and freaks of San Jose."
Another man said the city was moving down a "slippery slope" and could be forced to recognize other unions - such as bigamous relationships and even the romantic coupling of a father and son.
The meeting, which featured an overwhelming number of white and middle-aged or senior citizens, contrasted with the demographics of Santa Clara County. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, only 54 percent of county residents are white, and 25 percent are under 18.
David Vossbrink, communications director for the city, said politicians listened to speakers but voted according to what they believed was good for San Jose's 925,000 residents.
"Our city council won't make public policy by a show of hands in the room," Vossbrink said. "They look at where they want the community to move in the next five to 100 years and make the decision based on that judgment."
I ended up not going (I'm still trying to get over a cold) though I wanted to be there and had a speech thought out. I was going to bring my two cat licenses and ask them if I scratched out the pet parts and replaced them with "marriage" if it would then be a legal document and then have them entitled to medical and dental if I were a city employee. I would have loved to see their responses. I also would have liked to gotten their responses on their pretend concern for civil rights and equality when they have violated Prop 209, the California Civil Rights Initiative passed by a large majority. Oh well, maybe next time.
After the first 99 people, they cut the audience time from two minutes to one minute each.
The typical union, fake Christian, and GLBT freaks were there in force, including one sex-changed altered male which I identified immediately. :-/
Of course the resolution passes with only one NO vote by Reed who supports the idea but favored following the rule of law (go figure, eh?)... Dando and Williams were absent.
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When I saw he/she get up there, I said immediately, "sex-change"...you shoulda saw me when he/she admitted it. Pointing at the TV saying "Told ya...told ya!" LOL
I didn't catch the name, but I remeber the story of weird old uncle Frank/aunt Fran. Heard a one-time on-air performance of "Fran" and boy was it creepy and phony to listen to.
My gaydar was confirmed again when early on I saw the president of my neighborhood association say he was gay. No wonder he was sweet on Yeager. Maybe they got a thaaaannng going on.
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