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Gay Marriage: a History and a Time/CNN Poll TIME MAGAZINE, from the Web, February 16, 2004 1901 Murray Hall, a prominent Tammany Hall politician, masquerades as a man over a 30-year period and twice marries a woman. Not until death comes, in 1901, is it discovered that Hall is a woman. 1969 The Rev. Troy Perry of the Metropolitan Community Church, a Los Angeles — based church founded for gay, bisexual and transgender people, begins conducting same-sex marriage ceremonies that he calls holy unions. 1971 Jack Baker and his partner, James McConnell, both 28, unsuccessfully sue for a marriage license in Minnesota. A judge lets them acquire a legal relationship by allowing McConnell to adopt Baker. 1989 Denmark becomes the first country to recognize same-sex unions, allowing couples to register as partners. 1991 Three same-sex couples in Hawaii sue the state for the right to get married. Before the courts can issue a final ruling, the voters in 1998 amend the state constitution to ensure marriage is limited to couples of the opposite sex. 1994 IKEA airs a groundbreaking television commercial in the U.S. that features a gay male couple shopping together for furniture. 1994 Two characters on the TV show Northern Exposure, innkeepers Ron and Erick, are married. But prime time is not ready for everything: the two men do not kiss as the ceremony ends. 1996 Two characters on NBC's Friends, Ross's ex-wife and her girlfriend, get married. Newt Gingrich's sister Candace performs the TV ceremony. 1996 President Clinton signs the Defense of Marriage Act, denying federal recognition of same-sex marriage. 1998 In response to a court case brought by a male couple seeking to marry, Alaska amends its constitution to ban same-sex marriage. 2000 Governor Howard Dean of Vermont signs a law permitting civil unions between same-sex partners. Vermont is the first state to legally recognize same-sex unions. 2000 The Netherlands is the first country to allow same-sex couples the right to marry, providing the benefits that come with a civil marriage. The first couples marry in April 2001. 2002 The first same-sex union is announced in the New York Times. The partners are Daniel Andrew Gross and Steven Goldstein, and their civil-union ceremony takes place in Vermont. 2003 Belgium joins the Netherlands in recognizing marriage between same-sex couples. 2003 Two Canadian provinces, Ontario and British Columbia, permit same-sex marriage. 2003 Bride's magazine runs a one-page article on same-sex weddings. This is the first time that a major bridal magazine has published a piece on the subject. 2003 The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts rules that the commonwealth's constitution protects the right of homosexual couples to marry. 2004 The Massachusetts court rules that mere civil unions are discriminatory, thereby paving the way for same-sex marriages to start taking place in May. Time/Cnn Poll GAY MARRIAGE --Do you think marriages between homosexual men or between homosexual women should be recognized as legal? YES -- 30% TOTAL REPUBLICANS YES -- 20% DEMOCRATS YES -- 38% INDEPENDENTS YES -- 30% --Do you favor or oppose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that legally defines marriage as a union between a man and woman only and prevents states from legally recognizing marriages between homosexual men or between homosexual women? FAVOR -- 47% --Do you personally think a homosexual relationship between consenting adults is morally wrong, or not a moral issue? YES MORALLY WRONG -- 51% ACCEPTABLE FOR OTHERS BUT NOT SELF -- 49% --If a candidate for political office were to come out in favor of legalizing gay marriages, would you be more likely to vote for that candidate? MORE LIKELY -- 10% From a telephone poll of 1,000 adult Americans taken for TIME/CNN on Feb. 5and 6 by Harris Interactive. Margin of error is ±3.1%. Some "Not sures" omitted
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