FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2006

The Alternatives to Marriage Project (AtMP) celebrates the defeat of Arizona’s Proposition 107, which said “To preserve and protect marriage in this state, only a union between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage by this state or its political subdivisions and no legal status for unmarried persons shall be created or recognized by this state or its political subdivisions that is similar to that of marriage.”

Nicky Grist, the executive director of the Alternatives to Marriage Project, says that, “Arizona voters have proven that unmarried people of all types have shared interests and are potent political actors. Regular people plainly see that the marriage movement has over-reached; people don’t want to exclude the majority of households from all the benefits that married couples get.”

AtMP members in Arizona fought Proposition 107 by educating their communities about the diversity of unmarried people and the potential dangers of amending their state constitution. AtMP member Jennifer Reid of Tucson says "I am thrilled that the voters of Arizona showed how smart they are and saw through Prop. 107 despite its misleading title."  Marty Grant, an AtMP member in Lake Havasu City, says “I consider myself a Christian and I know people have different views on cohabitation. We’re not trying to push our views on anyone, we’re just living our lives the way we want to be.” After learning about Prop 107 from an AtMP volunteer, Marty researched it further on-line. She adds “The people promoting Prop 107 were obviously really narrow-minded. They’d tell you that just because you didn’t go before a judge, or because you’re gay, you’ll burn in hell.” AtMP members in Wisconsin and Virginia also fought marriage discrimination amendments in their states.

AtMP opposes constitutional definitions of marriage and prohibitions on recognizing unmarried people. Each state that amends its constitution in this manner further institutionalizes a hierarchy of relationships, unfairly privileging different-sex marriage and penalizing the great diversity of family types in which Americans increasingly choose to live for part or all of their lifetimes. The amendments push against a trend of expanding civil rights and fair labor practices for unmarried people.

Including the results of yesterday's election, 14 states now prohibit all unmarried relationships from having legal recognition that might be comparable to marriage (Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin). In addition, two states prohibit same-sex unmarried relationships from having any legal recognition (Nebraska, Alabama). These states all amended their constitutions within the last few years. All of them, plus at least 28 other states, also have some form of law that bans same-sex marriage. Arizona is the first state to defeat a marriage discrimination amendment.

Legalizing same-sex marriage would be one positive step in a broader movement toward recognizing family diversity in all its forms. At the same time, legal, economic and social benefits should not be allocated on the basis of marital status.

About the Alternatives to Marriage Project:
The Alternatives to Marriage Project advocates for equality and fairness for unmarried people, including people who are single, those who choose not to marry, cannot marry, or live together outside of marriage. We provide support and information for this fast-growing constituency, fight discrimination on the basis of marital status, and educate the public and policymakers about relevant social and economic issues.  We believe that marriage is only one of many acceptable family forms, and that society should recognize and support healthy relationships in all their diversity.  AtMP is a national nonprofit organization.