Alaska Lawmaker Against Benefits for Gays

[Judi Lynn]

Alaska Lawmaker Against Benefits for Gays

By MATT VOLZ
The Associated Press
Monday, October 31, 2005; 11:44 PM

JUNEAU, Alaska -- A state Republican lawmaker said Monday that he plans to draft a consitutional amendment to counter last week's Alaska Supreme Court decision to grant public employee benefits to gay couples.

State Sen. Fred Dyson said the legislation would exempt the state from having to extend the rights and benefits currently given to married couples to "any other union, partnership or legal status."

He cited a 1998 state consitutional amendment approved by Alaska voters that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Allison Mendel, the lawyer who represented the nine gay couples before the high court, said the issue has nothing to do with defining marriage.

"All this is about is equal pay for equal work. It's not about all these philosophical and moral issues that they seem to imply," she said.
(snip/...)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/31/AR2005103102099.html