Blue Spot

Florida, Arizona & California ban gay marriage, as vote count on Ca.'s Proposition 8 finalized

West Coast voters reversed a May court decision allowing gay marriage by passing a constitutional amendment that limits weddings to heterosexual couples. The stunning turnaround was one of several votes against gay rights in ballot propositions, with Arizona and Florida blocking same-sex unions.

In Arkansas, voters banned unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents - a move aimed at keeping gays and lesbians from taking in children.

In California, the vote capped the most expensive social issues campaign in U.S. history - with the two sides raising more than $70 million.

"It's a blow to civil rights. I'm very sad that people can't recognize that," said Stephanie Anne Davies, 47, a writer from Brooklyn. She married her partner of 13 years, Bea Anne Hanson, in San Francisco last month.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown has said the measure should not affect the estimated 16,000 gay couples who married after the California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage earlier this year.

In another intriguing California initiative, handcuffs for hookers in San Francisco will remain both a boon and a bother. Voters rejected a proposal to bar police from arresting prostitutes, which would have offered tacit legitimacy for the world's oldest profession.

In other states:

Connecticut: Voters protected last month's court ruling approving gay marriage.
Washington: Voters said yes to medically assisted suicide.
Colorado: Voters rejected a first-of-its-kind proposal that defined life as beginning at conception.
Massachusetts: Suspects arrested with an ounce or less of marijuana won't face criminal charges - just surrender of their stash and payment of a $100 fine.
Michigan: Medical patients can register to legally grow, buy and use marijuana.

Labels: Civil Rights, Gay marriage, Gay rights