By T.A. BADGER
Associated Press Writer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) O The Alaska Supreme Court postponed next week's vote to
repeal the city's gay rights ordinance, ruling that the petition that was used 
to get the measure on the ballot was probably biased in its wording. 

Supporters of the new ordinance went to court to block the April 20 vote on 
grounds that state law requires the wording on ballot propositions be impartial.
They had lost the first round in Superior Court, but their appeal of that ruling 
is still pending there. 

The Supreme Court said Wednesday it was troubled by the referendum's title, 
``Referendum Petition to Repeal A `Special Homosexual Ordinance.''' 

``While opponents of the ordinance regard it as giving special rights to 
homosexuals, proponents view it as merely adding sexual orientation to the list 
of other important personal characteristics ... protected from discrimination 
in public employment,'' the court said. 

The Supreme Court said the vote should be postponed until the lower court 
reconsiders the question of possible bias, because voters would be upset if 
they voted to throw out the ordinance next week and the vote was later 
overturned. 

Chief Justice Daniel Moore dissented, saying the state's impartiality 
requirement doesn't apply to Anchorage, which has its own procedures for 
referendums. 

The ordinance, enacted in January after months of bitter debate, bans 
discrimination based on sexual orientation for 3,300 city employees and workers 
hired through municipal contractors. 

Citizens to Repeal the Homosexual Ordinance collected 20,000 petition 
signatures, well beyond the 5,700 required. 

Allison Mendel, lawyer for Alaskans for Civil Rights, said in a television 
interview ``the court agreed with us that people who signed the petition were 
swayed and couldn't tell what it was all about. There has been a great deal of 
confusion.'' 

Michael Johnston, a leader in the effort to repeal the ordinance, said he 
thought politics were at work within the court. 

``I'm astonished that the court has seen fit to tell the voters of Anchorage 
that, because the court doesn't like the petition, the voters ought not be able 
to vote,'' he said.