An initiative that would overturn Ohio’s ban on same-sex marriages will be on the November ballot in 2014, according to advocacy group FreedomOhio.
Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act and cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California, FreedomOhio said it would go ahead with its long-gestating plan to repeal Ohio’s ban of same-sex marriage with its “Freedom to Marry and Religious Freedom Amendment.”
FreedomOhio co-founder Ian James said he was elated about the Supreme Court’s decision, but said there is still much work to be done to bring equality to Ohio.
“This important moment, however, does not change the reality that Ohio still has a constitutional amendment banning same-gender marriage,” James said in the statement. “Ohio voters can address the civil rights issue of our generation by voting for the Freedom to Marry and Religious Freedom amendment.”
The proposed constitutional amendment being pushed by FreedomOhio aims to make same-sex marriage legal in the state while allowing religious groups to determine for themselves whether to perform the unions.
The group needs to garner nearly 386,000 signatures to place its measure on the ballot.
“Our resolve has been doubled to collect signatures,” James said. “The journey continues.”
Elyzabeth Holford, executive director of Equality Ohio, shared in James’ excitement over the Supreme Court’s decision, but would not endorse the timing of the “Freedom to Marry” initiative.
“It’s appropriate to go forward when the time is right,” Holford said, adding that garnering enough signatures to place a same-sex marriage initiative on the ballot is only part of the equation. A consistent public approval rating of more than 51 percent for same-sex marriage would be among the factors necessary to launch such an initiative, she said.
Placing such a measure on the ballot “is not an arbitrary decision,” Holford said. “It’s our rights for marriage equality on the line.”
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