ATLANTA (AP) – A country club has agreed to mediation to resolve a dispute with two gay members who are seeking spousal benefits for their partners.

Mayor Shirley Franklin asked the Druid Hills Golf Club to compromise with Lee Kyser and Randy New, who filed a complaint in July with the city’s Human Relation’s Commission.

The commission ruled in January that the 1,100-member club violates the city’s anti-discrimination law.

“We hope that mediation will resolve the issue in a manner acceptable to both parties,” said club president T. Kent Smith.

The club’s board has argued that it accepts gay and lesbian members but extends spousal benefits only to legally married couples. The benefits allow the member’s partner to visit the club without the member and bring guests.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha blasted Attorney General Jon Bruning for testifying in Washington D.C. in support of a proposed federal ban on marriage for gays and lesbians.

Bruning was among those trying to convince a Senate Judiciary Constitution subcommittee of the necessity of a federal constitutional ban on marriage equality.

“I take offense at what he did,” Chambers said, vowing to block pending legislation that would give more money to Bruning’s office. “He has politicized that office.”

Chambers said that by testifying, Bruning publicly aligned himself with conservative groups pushing for the federal ban.

“While talking about being conservative and not in favor of governmental intrusion, they are the most busy-bodied, meddlesome people on the face of the earth,” Chambers said. “He represents the people of this state. The rest of the country is entitled to believe that his lame-brained simpletonness is what the state of Nebraska and its people are about.”

Bruning did not immediately return a call to his office seeking comment.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) – A judge has ruled that a group of gay and lesbian high school students cannot meet on campus, saying parents and school officials should determine what subject matter is allowed at school.

The Lubbock Gay Straight Alliance claimed in a July lawsuit that the school district violated students’ constitutional rights and federal law by refusing the group’s requests to meet at a high school in 2002.

Judge Sam R. Cummings said his ruling is “an assertion of a school’s right not to surrender control of the public school system to students and erode a community’s standard of what subject matter is considered obscene and inappropriate.”

He said the district’s policy banning discussion of sex or sex acts differentiated it from six similar cases in Utah, California, Indiana and Kentucky that sided with similar groups.

Brian Chase, an attorney with Lambda Legal, a national gay and lesbian civil rights organization that filed the lawsuit on behalf of the group, disagreed and said no decision has been made on an appeal.

“I’m disappointed that the court didn’t choose to follow the six other federal decisions allowing the students to meet and discuss issues of importance to gay and lesbian citizens,” he said.

Lubbock school board president Mark Griffin said the decision “accurately reflects the community perspective as a whole.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) – As President Bush swept through Southern California on a fund-raising sprint, the city council and the county board of supervisors went on record against his proposed constitutional amendment banning marriage for gays and lesbians.

The city council voted unanimously for a resolution opposing the amendment, while supervisors split 3-2 along party lines, with Republicans Mike Antonovich and Don Knabe voting against a resolution.

Councilman Dennis Zine, a Republican, voted for the council’s resolution, saying, “Discrimination is discrimination.”

Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa said “the federal marriage amendment would take us back to an era ... when it was OK to discriminate against people.”

Antonovich expressed anger that the resolution vote was taken, saying he thought it would be delayed due to Bush’s Southern California visit. He said he had told supporters of the constitutional amendment to stay home.

But Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said delaying the vote would have sent “a message of uncertainty, which is not where the board is.” He said he discouraged people from coming because he didn’t want to host a three-hour hearing on the issue.

On Feb. 24, Bush urged approval of a constitutional amendment banning marriage for gays and lesbians, and Republican U.S. senators said they will move later this month to consider several versions of a possible amendment.

DETROIT (AP) – They had their passports, birth certificates and $23 in hand, but they didn’t have the law on their side.

So half a dozen gay and lesbian couples seeking marriage licenses at the Wayne County clerk’s office left empty-handed.

“I think it’s a violation of my civil rights,” said Darrell Lawson, who with his partner of four years, Kevin Love, were the first applicants to be denied a license.

Lawson said he and Love were considering marrying in Ontario, where same-sex unions are legal. But, said Detroit-area gay and lesbian rights activist Jeffrey Montgomery, “Should Americans have to go to another country to get married? As a resident of the State of Michigan, people should be able to marry where they live.”

“This city will never be world-class until it becomes tolerant of all its citizens,” Johnny Jenkins, 35, a freelance graphic designer from Detroit, told the marchers.

The license seekers then headed inside to County Clerk Cathy Garrett’s office.

“In their heads they don’t expect to get a license,” Montgomery said. But, he added, “It’s going to be a heartbreaking moment for these couples, to come face to face with this discrimination against them.”

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson is avoiding all speeches outside the United States until a commission finishes studying the effect of his consecration as the Anglican Communion’s first openly gay leader.

After the commission is done, Robinson said, he will “gladly join the international conversations about the full inclusion of gay and lesbian Christians.” He had been scheduled to join a debate on gay and lesbian clergy March 11 at England’s Oxford University.

Anglican leaders warned that Robinson’s consecration last November could shatter the unity of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and events since have underscored that concern. The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the global communion, made up of groups that trace their roots back to the Church of England.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The City Council approved one resolution supporting marriage equality and another declaring a medical marijuana awareness week.

The council voted 11-2 for the marriage equality resolution, with four members abstaining and three others absent.

The resolution urges state lawmakers to repeal “discriminatory marriage laws” and oppose constitutional amendments banning marriage for gays and lesbians.

“These folks are denied the rights that are given to other folks, rights like benefit rights, parenting rights,” said Alderman Matt Sloan, who proposed the resolution.

Alderwoman Judy Compton abstained from voting because she said the council should not speak for voters on the issue.

The council also declared March 14-21 Madison Medical Marijuana Awareness Week by a vote of 11-5.

“In the face of uncontrollable suffering, marijuana has literally been a godsend,” said Gary Storck, a glaucoma patient and medical marijuana advocate. “This resolution will send a message that this community thinks it’s wrong that under federal and state law, the sick and dying should have to fear the police.”

Alderman Zach Brandon said the council should not advocate drug use.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The county clerk who issues marriage licenses and the city’s mayor say they would issue licenses to gay and lesbian couples if they could.

“I don’t have that authority,” Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said.

The resolution urges state lawmakers to repeal “discriminatory marriage laws” and oppose constitutional amendments banning marriage for gays and lesbians.

Under Wisconsin law, counties are the only authorities allowed to issue marriage licenses, mayoral spokeswoman Melanie Conklin said.

And Dane County Clerk Joe Parisi is not prepared to follow the actions of his peer in San Francisco, who started issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.

He said issuing marriage licenses would confuse the subject.

“I think a much more potent demonstration of how gays and lesbians are discriminated against is to show that they are not able to legally marry in Wisconsin, because that is what the law is,” Parisi said.

Parisi said he received an e-mail from the state Department of Vital Records, where marriage licenses are filed, that said the state would not accept licenses issued to gay and lesbian couples.

He also noted that an opinion written by then-Attorney General Jim Doyle said marriage for gays and lesbians is not legal in Wisconsin.

“I support same-sex marriage,” Parisi. “I think it’s all about fairness. But I don’t have the power to, simply by issuing a license, change a law.”