California vote may aid Nevada push

Wednesday, March 8, 2000 | 11:46 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Voter approval in California Tuesday to bar same sex marriage could give strength to a drive to put the prohibition in the Nevada Constitution, an official said today.

Richard Ziser, chairman of the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, said the passage of the ballot question in the neighboring state showed voters rejected the arguments that it was a hateful proposition.

"It will encourage the people (Nevadans) to know that California voters passed this," he said.

But, said Las Vegas gay rights leader Lee Plotkin, "We saw it coming," adding that he doubted the California vote would have any impact in Nevada.

Ziser's coalition is circulating petitions now to gather 44,009 signatures of registered voters on Nevada by June 20 to qualify the question for the November ballot. He said there were "thousands of petitions" distributed but he had no count on the number of people who have signed up so far.

Nevada law already prohibits same sex marriages but the coalition wants to cement it in the state constitution.

archive