This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2004, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I am against Proposition 3, now and forever. It's not necessary. Utah has three separate laws prohibiting gay marriage. There are no judicial challenges to those laws in Utah. But if it is a constitutional amendment that must be done, let's do it right.
In its zeal to curry political points with the far right and the Gayle Ruzika types, the Legislature did not do its homework. No hearings were held. No constitutional review committee was convened, and a shoddy, poorly thought-out amendment was passed (without a vote to spare) in the last few frantic minutes of the session. The amendment is poorly written and is guaranteed to cost the taxpayers millions in legal challenges.
What's the rush? Are “Will and Grace” moving to the Avenues? If an amendment must be passed, why not wait until January? At that time, if it must, the Legislature can pass a well-thought-out prohibition against gay marriage. Perhaps an amendment that is not clumsy, vindictive or a boon to lawyers. Let's wait the extra three months and do it right. It's the Utah Constitution we are talking about here, not chopped liver.
Stephen Justesen
Salt Lake City