The [Cleveland] Plain Dealer joined a growing list of publications, lawmakers, and political organizations that have asked voters to oppose a proposed state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage and other forms of legal recognition for same-sex couples in Ohio. The Advocate

Although Nova Scotia has legalized same-sex marriage, the province still wants couples getting married to be pronounced “husband and wife'”—at least while the paperwork gets sorted out. 365Gay.com

A debate between two Salt Lake City area candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives shows divisions on whether to an amendment to the Utah constitution to ban gay marriage, and uncertainty about whether the Constitution should be used to stop polygamy. 365Gay.com

In an open letter Bishop Kevin Boland and Archbishop John Donoghue are asking over 372,000 Catholic parishioners to vote yes on Georgia’s Amendment 1 to ban gay marriage. Gay activists like Kevin Clark of the gay rights group Georgia Equality says the letter crosses the line separating of church and state. WSAV News

In an exclusive interview with ABC’s Charles Gibson, Bush said he’s not sure if homosexuals are born with sexual preferences or whether those preferences develop later in life. When asked to look at the topic from a nature versus nurture standpoint, Bush told Gibson that he’s open to the possibility that nature could be the defining component when it comes to a person's sexual preference. Meanwhile, Bush says he has not changed his ideas on what constitutes a legal marriage. ABC News

The issue of gay marriage is on the minds of Arkansans who plan to vote in the Nov. 2 presidential race, according to a new poll. The poll for the Arkansas News Bureau and Stephens Media Group found that 63 percent of registered voters see the issue of gay marriage as either very important or somewhat important in deciding how they will vote. Thirty-seven percent rated it as not too important or not at all important. Arkansas News Bureau

Although support for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Ohio has dropped, 57 percent of likely voters said they intend to vote for it, a new poll shows. Those backing the ban say they aren’t worried that the race is tightening, but opponents insist that they have the momentum. The Plain Dealer

The year 2004 has been exceptional, by any standard, for political documentaries, and the trend continues with yet another well-crafted film on a polarizing issue. Jim de Sève’s Tying the Knot is a quietly effective exploration of the divisive subject of gay marriage in America…. The Seattle Times

A child psychiatrist from Yale University is denouncing efforts by the Oregon group that opposes same-sex marriage, saying they are misusing his research. New York Newsday

Bill Cohen of Ohio Public Radio reports on the battle over an anti-gay-marriage ballot issue that’s forging some unusual alliances. National Public Radio, All Things Considered

Divisions over homosexuality that have wracked American religious groups for decades are spilling into voting booths this year. Denominations are at odds with each other and religious leaders are sparring in the public square. Detroit Free Press

It has been more than 100 years since the Rev. Bernice Powell Jackson’s great-great-grandmother was prohibited from marrying her great-great-grandfather. She was Irish and he was black—mixed-race marriages were illegal then in Virginia. Such racist laws seem outrageous now, and perhaps did even then to Ohioans, whose progressive laws permitted mixed-race marriages. Yet a century later, Ohio voters are being asked to support a measure that is just as discriminatory, just as morally reprehensible, said Jackson. She and about 40 other pastors and rabbis gathered on the steps of the First United Methodist Church on Euclid Avenue to voice opposition to Issue 1. The Plain Dealer

The battle over a Georgia ballot measure to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage went before the state supreme court two weeks ahead of the scheduled election in which polls suggest the measure will easily pass. Opponents, hoping to prevent the votes from being counted, again argued that the amendment is flawed because it contains more than one subject and because the ballot language fails to convey that information to voters. The Advocate

The November election in Massachusetts was supposed to be phase 2 in the state’s epic gay rights battle, a time for political payback and citizen retaliation for votes cast during this year’s debate on gay marriage. But the divisive issue, which dominated statehouse discourse after the state’s high court legalized gay marriage a year ago, is not playing a highly visible role in legislative races that could ultimately determine the fate of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. The Advocate

A new survey by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies shows that 18 percent of African Americans say they would vote for President Bush, doubling the nine percent that said they would support him in the Joint Center’s pre-election 2000 poll. One suggested reason for the drop is John Kerry’s support for granting limited rights to gay and lesbian couples. Like Bush, Kerry opposes gay marriage, but, unlike the president he opposes amending the U.S. Constitution to forbid same-sex unions. 365Gay.com

Several GOP state lawmakers announced their support for a proposed gay marriage amendment and criticized fellow Republicans for saying the amendment would hurt Ohio’s economy. The amendment would ban gay marriage and stop government entities such as cities or counties from offering benefits to any unmarried couple. The Mercury News

A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by a dozen state lawmakers against a gay couple who have talked of challenging the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. The couple’s request for a marriage license and press statements about a possible legal challenge do not represent the “imminent harm” needed to give the lawmakers standing to sue, Bucks County Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg said. The Kansas City Star

The author of the landmark gay marriage decision that triggered political backlash across the country warned against efforts to tamper with the independent judiciary system. Margaret Marshall, chief justice of the state’s Supreme Judicial Court, told a gathering of business leaders that she welcomed scrutiny and criticism of the court's decision, but she decried attempts—here and elsewhere—to subject judges to elections. Boston Herald

How big a problem is the gay marriage issue for the Democrats? Reading between the lines on the Mary Cheney flap suggests something pretty big is happening out there in Demland. (by Maggie Gallagher) Yahoo! News

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement opposing gay marriage, two weeks before Utah voters decide a proposed constitutional amendment on the question. The nearly 150-word statement says that only men and woman should be married, and “any other sexual relations, including between persons of the same gender, undermine the divinely created institution of family.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer