A resolution calling for the
legalization of gay marriage won the approval of the Oregon State
University's student government last week.
According to the Gazette-Times,
the non-binding resolution opposes the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
and Oregon's 2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment, both of
which define marriage as a heterosexual union.
The resolution also states that gay and
lesbian couples have a constitutional right to marriage.
OSU House Rep. Brad Alvarez, a junior
majoring in finance and economics, told the paper that President
Barack Obama's recent endorsement of equal marriage rights had
prompted him to write the resolution.
“It's a growing trend of acceptance
and realization that this is a right, and this is something that will
happen in the U.S.,” Alvarez said.
He added that he hopes the resolution
will influence additional state and national lawmakers to support
marriage equality.
According to a poll conducted last
June, a large majority of Oregon voters support legal recognition of
the relationships of gay couples with either marriage (43%) or civil
unions (33%). Twenty-two percent said they favor no legal
recognition.
Gay marriage activists in November
decided against
an effort to put the state's gay marriage ban up to a popular vote in
2012.