ognition of same-sex marriages, and that it was no mistake. It is not a great political issue for Clinton but it did anger his loyal gay constituency. Clinton has long been on record as saying he would sign the bill into law, even though he has charged that many of its supporters were just seeking a way to bash gays and lesbians. Clinton's stand on the marriage issue, for many gays, marks another disappointment in the same vein as the president's don't ask, don't tell' military service policy. The law leaves it up to each state to decide whether to recognize same-sex marriages. Clinton said the bill also "clarifies, for purposes of federal law, the operative meaning of the terms 'marriage' and 'spouse.'" In California the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a ballot initiative that would protect marriage as only between a man and a woman in California. The DOMA is needed to protect Californians from being forced to accept same-sex "marriages," even if they are legalized in another state. Judges in three states, including Hawaii, Vermont, and Alaska, are threatening to legalize same-sex "marriages" very soon. In Irving, Texas pastors who perform same-sex marriages can be brought before church courts and charged with disobedience, the United Methodist Church's highest court ruled. The court announced the church rule against same-sex marriages is a law, not a guideline. Utah and Hawaii are two states highly up on the topic of homosexual marriages. The state of Utah says that they are going to fight same sex marriages because they feel that it is unconstitutional. Some of the politicians in Utah say that “ Marriage is the basis of family life, and families are the central to civilization.” Robert H. Knight, who is a politician in Utah, says that the law does not discriminate against homosexuals, but it says that each sex must be represented in marriage. The statements stemming from Hawaii are very similar to those coming fr...
