Utah Governor Gary Herbert on Thursday
reiterated his support for Amendment 3, the state's 2004
voter-approved constitutional amendment which prohibits the state
from recognizing gay and lesbian couples with marriage or civil
unions.
A federal judge on December 20 struck
down Utah's marriage ban. For 17 days before the Supreme Court
granted a stay in the ruling, Utah was the 18th state to
legalize same-sex marriage. During that time, more than 1,300 gay
couples exchanged vows.
Herbert, a Republican, ordered the
marriages put “on hold” pending an appeal in the case, Kitchen
v. Herbert.
During his monthly televised news
conference from Salt Lake City, Herbert said he was open to
considering civil unions.
“If there's other ways to get from
here to there that can be the common-ground approach, let's take a
look at it,” Herbert said.
However, he added that he personally
supports the ban.
“I think that's the best way to have
family arrangements,” Herbert said of marriages involving a man and
a woman. “The best chance for children to be the best they can
be.”
“Clearly the people in gay
relationships are together, they're loving each other, they're taking
care of each other, just like people in other families and
traditional families are doing. And it has been working,” he said.