/ NEWS / THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
NATIONAL
Activists increase efforts for, against same-sex marriage
ASSOCIATED PRESS
them.
"There is so much happening that it is a challenge even for the most ardent marriage-equality supporters to keep track of," said Molly McKay, media director of Marriage Equality, a national group that favors same-sex marriage. "This is a national fight being fought out on various local grounds. Rhode Island, New York, those are states right now where all eyes are looking."
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Lawmakers in Rhode Island and Maryland are taking up bills to legalize gay marriage, advocates in New York are making a renewed push, and opponents are fighting for constitutional bans in Indiana and Wyoming and to re-impose bans in Iowa and New Hampshire.
eyes are looking. In New York City, the advocacy group Freedom to Marry on Wednesday announced the launch of what it described as the largest-ever national public education campaign aimed at increasing popular support for same-sex marriage.
The flurry of activity nationwide has activists on both sides of the gay marriage debate encouraged that 2011 will be a year of gains for them.
The group said it hopes to raise and spend $10 million over the next three years to run ads featuring gay and straight couples talking about the importance of marriage. The first ad is scheduled to run nationally on CNN on Valentine's Day, the group said.
McKay said that with more people open about their sexual orientation, and with gay marriages legal in Massachusetts since 2004, there is a growing acceptance among the public that allowing two men or two women to marry is not a big deal.
"People are realizing, 'Oh, this
isn't just a theoretical issue. That's our nice neighbors down the street," McKay said. "You can't put the toothpaste back into the tube once it's squeezed."
Gay marriage is legal in a handful of states besides Massachusetts: Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa, as well as in the District of Columbia. In California, supporters of gay marriage are mounting a challenge in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage there after voters approved it in 2008.
Gallagher said the group hopes it can block legislative efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland and Rhode Island, as well as in New York, where a similar measure could emerge this year.
If the bill is approved, Gallagher said, "the people of Maryland will, like the people of Maine, reverse their legislators' decision."
On the other side, 30 states have constitutional amendments banning gay marriages.
ming gay man stages. Maggie Gallagher, chairwoman of National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, said her group is working to increase that number by adding Indiana, Wyoming and possibly North Carolina, the only state in the South that does not have such an amendment. In Wyoming, the proposed amendment is heading to the full House after clearing a committee on Tuesday. It has already passed the Senate.
In Rhode Island, activists believe that after years of trying, this year represents their best chance yet of legalizing gay marriage.
legitizing gay marriage McKay said activists see Rhode Island as key.
"What happens in Rhode Island will advance the cause of equality nationwide," she said.
Bill would let grocers sell liquor
BY LAURA NIGHTENGALE
lnightengale@kansan.com
Inightengale@kansan.com
The Federal and State Affairs Committee will hear arguments next week in favor of and against a bill that would change which establishments can legally sell liquor.
The Senate committee intends to meet next Tuesday and Wednesday to hear from proponents and opponents of the proposed law. A representative of the committee's office said that the bill could appear again before the Senate as early as Feb. 21, although the final deadline for bill consideration is April 2.
If passed, this law would change regulations of liquor license purchases, allowing grocers and convenience stores to sell full-strength beer and liquor. The bill would also offer liquor stores the option to expand their selection to include food items.
Mass Beverage owner Ryan Urban opposes the bill and admits if it passes he will be worried about his business' future.
"It will be tough to survive for any liquor store," Urban said.
Urban also said that allowing convenience stores to sell liquor would eliminate the benefits of having knowledgeable vendors and selection variety with the demise of the specialized liquor stores.
The Coalition for Jobs and Consumer Choice is the main proponent of this bill, representing retailers such as Walmart, Hy-Vee and Kroger.
Director of the Center of Applied Economics Art Hall published a report in favor of this bill, predicting jobs and economic recovery for Kansas if the liquor license sale is expanded.
Both Hall and Urban agree that the change in law would not significantly affect the price of
alcohol in the state because of an already competitive market.
While the success of this bill might have little to no effect on what students pay for alcohol, it would certainly affect the selection and location of available vendors.
"If you allow these other stores to have a really good source of liquor, beer or wine, they can make better use of a dollar than these liquor stores can," Hall said.
Edited by Corey Thibodeaux
For more coverage of this story check out the KUJH newscast at 4 p.m.
Travis Young/KANSAN A proposed bill in the Kansas Senate could change the rules on liquor. Grocery stores would be allowed to sell full-strength liquor and liquor stores could begin to add food to their shelves.
NEW LIQUOR LAW
DETAILS
- Stores that will carry fullstrength liquor: Convenience stores, grocery stores, and super centers like Walmart.
- Pros of new law: Thousands of new jobs statewide.
- Cons of new law: Smallvenue liquor stores will lose business and may close.Revenue of super centers like Walmart will be spread out among many states.
- Pros of current law: The money made in smallvenue stores will remain in the state and be put back into the Kansas economy.
- Cons of current law: Inconvenience due to limited hours, location, and variety of selection.
- Small business protection policy:A proposed three-year freeze will ensure the number of liquor licenses in Kansas will remain the same, preventing larger companies from dominating the market.
Source: Ryan Urban, Mass Beverage owner, and Art Hall, director of the Center of Applied Economics
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