After a long, often heated debate in the Capitol building Thursday, the Wisconsin Assembly approved a bill that would clearly define marriage as a union between \one man and one woman.""
The bill, known as Assembly Bill 475, passed by a 68 to 28 vote. Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, proposed the bill on Aug. 19. According to Gundrum and other Republicans, the bill was designed to ""defend marriage.""
""We intend to strengthen the state of Wisconsin so that activist judges will be unable to force same-sex marriage upon the state,"" Gundrum said before the vote.
""We created this bill to preserve those aspects of marriage, society, and culture that have existed since the beginning of time,"" he said.
Other supporters of the bill said they voted for the bill because they did not want the government to be able to force Wisconsin to allow same-sex marriages as a result of a different interpretation of the law. Originally, Wisconsin state law defined marriage as the union between a ""husband and wife.""
However, many opponents of the bill were also present before the vote, voicing their fear that AB 475 was actually an attack on homosexuality and same-sex marriages.
""This is a question about equality,"" said Rep. Tom Hebl, D-Sun Prairie. ""The excuse that this bill is a 'defense of marriage' is an utter farce. They want to slap homosexuals in the face,"" Hebl said.
During the debate, opponents of the bill challenged the bill on multiple fronts. Some speakers challenged the definition of a man and woman, while others criticized supporters of the bill for ignoring their own ""dysfunctional marriages"" while telling people how to live their own lives. One spokesperson even suggested that the proceedings were an attempt to advocate violence towards homosexuals.
The bill will now be voted on by the Senate, and if the Senate passes the bill, Gov. Jim Doyle will either sign or reject the bill. In the past, Doyle has said that he sees bills such as AB 475 as unnecessary.
