Homophobes won a crucial victory in the Arizona State House Tuesday after lawmakers gave preliminary approval to a measure to constitutionally define marriage as solely between one man and one woman.

A similar bill was defeated earlier this month when Kyrsten Sinema (D-Phoenix) attached a provision to the bill that would have made a vote against same-sex marriage also a vote to grant certain rights to unmarried - including gay - couples.

The additional provision was unacceptable to those who oppose same-sex marriages so House backers let the bill die, with the plan of resurrecting the measure again, The Arizona Daily Star reports.

Sinema abstained from attaching a similar provision to the new bill but did suggest she had a strategy ready to beat the new measure, even though she was unwilling to give any clues on her plans to the newspaper:

"Do you think I'm going to answer that question?" she said. "Do I look stupid?"

As to a possible strategy, she said: "And if I have one, which I may, I'm not telling you guys."

Last update: 04-23-2008 11:55