TWO blows have been struck against the gay community by the US Senate which has passed a Bill curbing same sex marriage and rejected another which would have banned job discrimination against homosexuals.
The Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) was passed by 85 votes to 14. It has already been passed by the House of Representatives and President Clinton has said he will sign it into law. Opinion polls show strong public rejection of legal recognition of same sex marriages.
The Senate Bill defines marriage as a male female union and allows states to disregard gay marriages licensed by other states. The Bill was brought forward by conservative legislators who fear that a ruling by the Hawaii Supreme Court in favour of such marriages would force other states to recognise them.
The court said the Hawaii state ban on such marriages was unconstitutional unless the government could show a compelling reason to keep it. Three gay and lesbian couples in Hawaii are suing the state to enforce legal recognition of their marriages.
The Bill passed by the US Senate will also deny federal recognition of gay marriages, meaning that partners will not be eligible for social security benefits or spouses pensions.
Senator Edward Kennedy was one of the few senators to oppose the Bill, which is a sensitive matter in an election year. He said it was a "mean spirited" form of Republican legislative gay bashing intended "to inflame the public" before the election.
The main case against same sex marriage was also made by a Democrat, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia. "Out of such relationships no children can result. Out of such relationships emotional bonding oftentimes does not take place. And many such relationships do not result in the establishment of families as society universally interprets that term, he said.
The Employment Non Discrimination Bill was narrowly defeated by 50 votes to 49. It was strongly supported by the Democrats and would possibly have passed if Senator David Pryor of Arkansas, a supporter of gay rights, had not been absent because of the illness of his soon.
It was the first time the Senate had voted on a major civil rights Bill for gay people. Mr Kennedy had called for a vote on the floor to show the extent of Democratic support for the Bill outlawing job discrimination against gay people.
The gay community has been critical of Mr Clinton's readiness to sign the other Bill curbing same sex marriage while recognising that he has done more to help gays than any other president. However, the narrow margin of the voting has made them more optimistic about the future.