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(402) 643-2707
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V 4642 Baldwin
\\ 464 0330
Lincoln, O^L 68504
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B B
Same-sex marriages uncommon!
ur_I___ .
By Julie Naughton
Senior Editor
Couples in other states may re
quest same-sex marriages, but none
have requested one in Nebraska, said
Susan Stareher, administrative aid for
the Lancaster County Clerk.
Stareher said her office had never
received a marriage license request
from a same-sex couple and no rec
ords are kept by the state on requests
for same-sex licenses.
"We’ve always been told it isn’t
legal,” she said.
Tye Baker, secretary of the Gay
Lesbian Student Association at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said
gay and lesbian couples might not ask
for licenses because they know it isn’t
legal.
"There’s no law saying specifi
cally that it’s illegal, but it’s worded
in a strange way. Baker said.
Massachusetts has a “domestic
partnership” law, which allows same
sex couples who have lived together
for at least one year to be legally
recognized. Domestic partners are then
eligible for certain benefits, such as
married student housing, Baker said.
Although many assume that states
with large gay populations, such as
California or Florida, allow same-sex
marriages, that isn’t the case, Baker
said.
"If it were allowed,” Baker said,
“everyone would be moving to Cali
fornia or Florida.”
-44 -——“
There's no law saying
specifically that it’s
illegal, but it’s worded in
a strange way.
Tye Baker
secretary
UNL Gay-Lesbian Student
Association
-99 ”
Baker added that California, de
spite the large gay population in San
Francisco, actually is far behind other
states in terms of gay marriages.
However, San Francisco has city
ordinances that prohibit discrimina
tion against gays, Baker said.
On a national level, gays and les
bians applying for marriage licenses
have had little success. During No
vember, one of the latest testings of
the law was filed in Washington.
Two gay men, Craig Dean and
Patrick Gill, applied for a marriage
license and were turned down. They
filed a $1.25 million lawsuit charging
the city with acting maliciously by
denying the license request. In addi
tion to the money, their suit also seeks
the issuance of a marriage license.
In the early 1970s, gay couples in
Minnesota, Kentucky and Washing
ton state filed lawsuits seeking issu*
ance of marriage licenses, according
to the Advocate, a national gay rights
magazine. All were turned down. Like
nasuin^iuii nunc ui me statesH
have laws that specifically restricted®
same-sex couples from marriage, but®
in each case, judges declared “that®
marriage was historically and inirin-B
sically limited to heterosexuals.”
Because they cannot get married,
many couples are filing powers of
attorney, giving their partner the right
to take care of them and their affairs
should they become incapacitated.
Baker said.
“They’re assigning certain rights
'hat say in advance ‘this is who I want
to take care of me, this is who can
visit me,”’ Baker said.
No laws have been established to
divide property after a partner’s death,
Baker said.
“People are stating very explicitly
in their wills what they want done
with their property,” Baker said.
Although same-sex marriages are
not legal in the eyes of the state, some
churches will perform a marriage
ceremony for same-sex couples. The
Unitarian Church allows such mar
riages, and will perform them in Lin
coln, Baker said. Metropolitan Com
munity Church in Omaha also per
forms same-sex marriages, Baker said.
“Although the ceremony is not
legally recognized, the church recog
nizes them, Baker said. “It’s a cere
mony for the couple and their friends,
to let everyone know that they’re
committed to each other.
None of the major denominations
allow such marriages.
Wedding invitation extended to God
despite problem of mixed religions
By Dionne Searcey
Staff Reporter
Without religion in a marriage,
something is missing, local reli
gious leaders said.
Jim Pennington, minister at the
University Lutheran Chapel/Lu
theran Church Missouri Synod, 1510
Q St., said that when two people
get married they become one flesh.
They are emotionally, physically,
mentally and spiritually one, he
said.
“If there’s no spiritual aspect—
there’s a part that’s missing,” Pen
nington said.
Scott Pixlcr, campus minister
for College/Carccr Christian Fel
lowship, 1633 Q St., agreed and
said married couples rely on God
throughout their life.
“(Couples) recognize that the
real security of their marriage is
dependent on their relationship not
only with each other, but with the
Lord," Pixler said.
He said' the Bible spells out
specific roles for husbands and wives
to follow.
Couples know they will let each
other down throughout their mar
ried years, Pixler said, and they
need to be able to forgive each
other.
Sometimes conflicting religious
views can pose difficulties.
Most churches don’t discour
age mixed-religion marriages, Pixler
said, but marrying someone of a
different faith may present prob
lems later in life.
“A devout Christian and a de
vout Muslim arc going to have
problems,” he said.
Father Rudy Obomy, a priest at
St. John’s Catholic Church, 7601
Vine, said a Catholic spouse must
promise to try to raise children in
the Catholic Church.
He said that if a Catholic’s spouse
isn’t Catholic, problems could
develop.
Pennington said the spouse’s
family can also be antagonistic and
want the new son- or daughter-in
law to be part of the same family
religion.
Pixler said that when couples
come from different religious back
grounds they should “come to an
agreement or agree to disagree.”
Whether religion plays a role in
the lives of couples or not, they still
tend to marry in churches, Pixler
said.
Pennington said, “It’s tradition
not because they want God’s bless
ing. It’s the thing to do.”
Jewel
Continued from Page 2
woman’s wedding set.
If a man chooses a plain gold band,
he’ll spend an average of $75 to $225.
An engraved ring averages $100 to
$250, he said. The average diamond
men’s ring costs $400 to $500, but
there also are many in the $200 to
I
$400 range, he said.
Trepanier said college couples
spend an average of $ 1,200 to $2,500
for the woman’s wedding set. Col
lege men spend an average of $450
he said.
Trepanier recommended that
couples shop for their wedding ring:
at a store they trust. He suggestet
couples do a little reading about stone:
and grading systems before shopping
---
, II you don’t register
with Selective Service, you might
make the wrong impression.
Let 's be
blunt. If you're a
man, you've got
to register with
Selective Service
within a month of
turning 18. If you
don't, you’re
breaking the law.
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