The Marriage Protection Act passed 233 to 194 in the House on Thursday after failing to pass in the Senate the previous week. The act denies federal courts jurisdiction over same-sex marriage cases, such as challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act. SPA senior Mike Gaetani said he supports promoting traditional marriages but is unsure whether amending the constitution is the ideal way. "I don't know if I'm happy it failed though," he said. "I was hoping Congress would make a statement." Gaetani predicts that this issue will resurface this fall as one of President Bush's biggest campaign points. "As long as there's the Defense of Marriage Act, there won't be an amendment," he said. The effects of the proposed amendment can still be felt, however, said Cathy Schaeff, chair of the biology department. "Since Bush said he was going to put forth this initiative, hate crimes have doubled," said Schaeff. "It sends a really bad message and has really scary ramifications even if it doesn't go through Congress." Schaeff feels support of this amendment is consistent with Bush's other policies such as "pulling back" on STD education and condom distribution. "He's having a huge impact on science in particular," she said. "He's harassing scientists who research sexuality; they're just not being funded. They have to be careful about including certain words in research proposals. This is an area that's getting hammered." Although the amendment did not pass in the Senate, the 48 to 50 vote was not as wide a margin as some hoped for. "I would like to have seen a stronger vote against that amendment," said Chris Ayala, a graduate intern at the AU GLBTA resource center. Ayala believes that the failure was due to the Constitution's role as a protector of rights. "Never has our constitution been amended to restrict rights. The Senate vote reaffirms that belief in the Constitution." He said this vote also sends a powerful message to constituents who felt a federal marriage amendment was "the only alternative to dealing with the issue of gay marriage." Like Gaetani, Schaeff thinks an amendment is unlikely. "It's all about Bush trying to get the conservative vote," she said. But the affects of Bush's stance on same-sex marriage could reach farther than the United States. The Administration must decide whether or not to recognize same-sex marriages from other countries. America currently has an agreement with Canada whereby the two countries will abide by each others' laws, and Canada currently allows same-sex marriage, said Schaeff. "This will be bigger than homegrown politics," she said.
