Texas Voters Approve Ban on Gay Marriage

Texas Voters Approve Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage; Maine Preserves Gay-Rights Law

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer

Nov 9, 2005 — Voters in Texas and Maine rendered a split verdict Tuesday on gay rights, while California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger his popularity plummeting suffered a setback in his power struggle with public-employee unions and Democratic legislators.

Californians rejected three measures promoted by the hard-campaigning Schwarzenegger to cap state spending, strip lawmakers of redistricting powers and make teachers work five years instead of two to pass probation.

The last of the governor's four proposals would require public-employee unions to get members' permission before their dues could be used for political purposes. Returns there were too close to call.

"No matter what the results are … tomorrow the victories and the losses will be behind us," Schwarzenegger said. "No matter what … we're going to continue to fight for California."

Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step. In Maine, however, voters rejected a conservative-backed proposal to repeal the state's new gay-rights law.

The contest in Texas was lopsided; near-complete returns showed the gay-marriage ban supported by about 76 percent of voters. Like every other state except Massachusetts, Texas didn't permit same-sex marriages previously, but the constitutional amendment was touted as an extra guard against future court rulings.

"Texans know that marriage is between a man and a woman, and children deserve both a mom and a dad. They don't need a Ph.D. or a degree in anything else to teach them that," said Kelly Shackelford, a leader Texans For Marriage, which favored the ban.

Gay-rights leaders were dismayed by the outcome, but vowed to continue a state-by-state battle for recognition of same-sex unions.

"The fight for fairness isn't over, and we won't give up," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. "These amendments are part of a long-standing effort by the extreme right to eliminate any legal recognition for gay people and our families."