CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Gov. Cecil Underwood wants West Virginia to join other states with legislation ensuring that people of the same sex cannot marry.
Underwood's staff said Wednesday that he will ask the Legislature to put on all marriage license applications: "Marriage is designed to be a loving and lifelong union between a woman and a man.""It's a moral issue for him. He just believes in family values and family traditions," said Jim Teets, the governor's chief of staff. "It's an issue that needs to be addressed before it becomes a problem."
In 1993, Hawaii's Supreme Court ruled that the failure to recognize gay marriages amounted to gender discrimination. That set off pre-emptive legislation in Congress and at least 30 states to ban same-sex marriages. Lawmakers feared that gay couples would get married in Hawaii and then expect their home states to recognize the marriages.
Hawaii eventually drew up a constitutional amendment against gay marriage, and voters approved it 2-to-1 last year.
The Vermont Supreme Court ruled in December that gay and lesbian couples there should enjoy all benefits and privileges afforded to heterosexual couples. It was the first court in the nation to make such a sweeping ruling.
The West Virginia Legislature has debated bills banning same-sex marriages for three years. Versions have passed both houses only to die on the last day of the legislative session because lawmakers could not compromise on language.