Subject: South Dakota's Anti-marriage bill HB1184
From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 17 Jan 1996 16:12:53 -0500

For Immediate Release 1/17/96

	Free Americans Creating Equal Status of South Dakota, Inc. Executive
Director Barry Wick condemned  the renewed introduction of House Bill 1143
and called on State Legislators to once again reject the bill designed to ban
 marriage between people of the same-gender.   This bill, if adopted, would
mean that couples who  are legally married suddenly become unmarried when
they cross into South Dakota.  
	The bill's prime sponsor Rep. Roger Hunt of Brandon has claimed that the
bill is needed to protect South Dakota families and stop rising insurance
rates.  The bill does nothing to protect families or address insurance rates,
but instead unconstitutionally prevents lawfully married couples from
traveling into South Dakota.   
	Currently, gays and lesbians are prevented from marrying in any state
including South Dakota.
Hunt is once-again trying to get the legislature to spend its time to create
a legal barrier against couples who might win their freedom to marry in the
future in some other state.   Marriage is an important personal choice to
made by the couple and not interfered with by the government.  Hunt has
claimed South Dakota businesses would be forced to insure same-gender
partners.   There are many South Dakota businesses that do not now provide
insurance for any married persons.   South Dakota families are lucky to get
insurance as a benefit from their employers now.    If Representative Hunt is
really concerned about access to affordable health insurance,  he should not
scapegoat gay and lesbian citizens of South Dakota who pay taxes, own homes,
build families and contribute to our communities. Nor should he and the
bill's sponsors try to undermine couples who are lawfully married.
	Corporate America has already started to recognize business benefits of
non-discriminatory health coverage.   Nationwide there are more than 400
companies that offer same-gender partners equal health benefits including
 such conservative companies and universities as Xerox, Coors Brewing, North
Dakota University, Microsoft,  Time-Warner and Disney.    
	What makes strong families are economic security including affordable
insurance, and the South Dakota values of tolerance, independence,
compassion, western fair-play, and love.  Rep. Hunt's hateful bill makes no
business sense and actually will divide and polarize South Dakota.      -30-

Free Americans Creating Equal Status of South Dakota, Inc.
FACES of South Dakota, Inc.
Barry Wick, Executive Director
13121 South Creekview Road
Rapid City, South Dakota  57702-8503
Phone: 605-343-5577
Fax:  605-394-8962
Email:  [email-masked]