ATLANTA (AP) – A marriage equality ban floated by Georgia Democrats failed an early test when the House voted not to make the constitutional amendment immune from any changes.

The proposed amendment is a Democratic version of the same-sex marriage ban already adopted by the Republican Senate. The House, ruled by Democrats, narrowly rejected that amendment last month.

Rural Democrats suggested an alternate version and asked that their version be engrossed, or protected from any amendment. An engrossment is thought to make it easier to pass a bill because the measure cannot be changed.

The Democratic sponsor, Rep. Jeanette Jamieson of Toccoa, argued her amendment is better than the GOP version because it simply defines marriage as a man-woman union.

The Republican amendment includes extra provisions banning legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples, even those married in other states. Jamieson called that language unnecessary.

“This is not California. This is truly the heart of the Bible Belt,” Jamieson said.

But the House rejected Jamieson’s engrossment request 104-56. Republicans were joined by the most liberal Democrats, who don’t want a marriage equality amendment in any form.

The House is still scheduled to vote again on the Republican amendment, but a date for that debate has not been set.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin denounced the proposed amendment to the state constitution.

“We are a city and state that promote inclusion and encourage full diversity,” Franklin said.

The mayor was joined by other women Democratic politicians, including Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard, who is openly gay.

“It’s time that we cut out the divisive debates,” Woolard said.

BOSTON (AP) – Massachusetts lawmakers gave preliminary approval to a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage but allow civil unions as the state again took center stage in the national debate over the rights of same-sex couples to wed.

The amendment, which would strip gay and lesbian couples of their court-granted marriage rights, must still weather several additional votes and anticipated legislative maneuvering by opponents.

The earliest a ban could end up on a statewide ballot is November 2006, more than two years after same-sex couples can start getting married in Massachusetts.

It was adopted 129-69 with the help of several known advocates of same-sex marriage, triggering speculation that they could withdraw their support on the critical final vote needed before this year’s constitutional convention ends.

Due to the elaborate constitutional-amendment process, the ban must be approved by the Legislature at least three more times this year and then again during the 2005-06 legislative session.

Under a landmark high court decision issued in November and reaffirmed in February, same-sex marriage will become legal in Massachusetts on May 17 – two and a half years before any constitutional amendment could go on the ballot for popular approval.

The vote in favor of the ban occurred against a backdrop of renewed protests on Beacon Hill, where the Legislature resumed its constitutional convention after a month-long hiatus filled with behind-the-scenes negotiations.

ASBURY PARK, New Jersey (AP) – City officials have voted stop accepting marriage license applications from gay and lesbian couples, but also voted to file a lawsuit seeking court approval to continue issuing such licenses.

The city council acted after state Attorney General Peter C. Harvey threatened criminal prosecution if city officials did not stop granting the licenses.

“I’ve had friends who were beaten for no other reason than they were gay,” Councilman John M. Loffredo said. “For us to deny anyone the right to marry is wrong.”

Council members said they would seek a court judgment affirming that a gay marriage ceremony performed by the deputy mayor was legal and that the city could continue issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.

Gov. James E. McGreevey urged gay and lesbian couples to take advantage of the state’s recently passed domestic partnership measure instead. “The state is bound by the court, and the court has held that it is not legal,” he said.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota State University student has been told to stop writing to a seventh-grade girl after his letter to her mentioned that he was gay.

Aaron Eichenberger says he was simply sharing common interests with his seventh-grade writing partner when he wrote to her, “as a gay man I’m also into boys and clothes.”

Eichenberger, a sophomore, was banned last month from writing to the girl after his letter was brought to the attention of Shane Martin, acting principal at Ben Franklin Junior High.

“The letter had a sexual connotation in it, and that raised a red flag,” Martin said. “Our concern is this is a college student writing to a 12-year-old, and it’s just not appropriate that there be any connotation.

“Basically, if we had a heterosexual write, ‘I’m a heterosexual male, I’m into girls,’ it would have raised the same red flag,” Martin said.

The letter was one of three Eichenberger was supposed to write to complete his assignment in an introductory English course. Since 1997, NDSU has participated in a letter-writing program that pairs college students with seventh-graders to build relationships through letter writing, said Eichenberger’s instructor, Amy Taggart.

Martin said the incident will not affect the letter-writing program.

“We appreciate NDSU’s help with us, and we feel they benefit from it as well,” he said. “This was just a mistake, and we’re going to move on.”

WASHINGTON (AP) – A group of gay and lesbian Republicans who supported President Bush in 2000 will air a television ad opposing a Bush-backed constitutional amendment that would prohibit gays and lesbians from marrying.

The 30-second spot by the Log Cabin Republicans shows Vice President Dick Cheney at a debate four years ago saying, “People should be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to enter into.”

The vice president also says: “I don’t think there should necessarily be a federal policy in this area.” The words “We agree” then flash on the screen.

Cheney said recently that he supports the president, even though one of his daughters, Mary, is gay.

Last month, Bush called for quick election-year enactment of the amendment following a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in November that it is unconstitutional to bar gay and lesbian couples from marriage. Since the ruling, several cities and mayors have been conducting marriages for gay and lesbian couples in defiance of local and state laws.

The Log Cabin Republicans’ $1 million effort to defeat the amendment includes lobbying, grass-roots mobilization and print advertisements with the TV ads, which will run in Washington, D.C., Ohio, Missouri, Florida, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. OHIO

CINCINNATI (AP) – Activists who want to repeal a ban on gay rights laws plan a door-to-door campaign to reach all registered voters in the city. Backers of the present law say they are not taking the repeal effort seriously and will not enter the fray unless they see a swing in public opinion.

Members of Citizens to Restore Fairness will hit the streets each Saturday for the next eight months in an effort to identify at least 60,000 votes in support of repealing Article 12 of the city charter, said Justin Turner, who is coordinating the canvass. The group says it has already gathered enough signatures to put the repeal on the November ballot.

“This is old-style, grass-roots campaigning,” Turner said. “It’s difficult, but it’s the most effective way to get voters.”

A 1993 amendment made Cincinnati the only city in the country to ban enactment or enforcement of laws that include gays and lesbians among protected groups.

Groups that helped get the charter amendment passed 10 years ago are waiting to assess the effect of the door-to-door campaign, which will try to reach all of the 179,802 registered voters in the city.

“We’re not taking it real serious,” said Phil Burress, spokesman for Equal Rights Not Special Rights, a group opposed to the repeal.

“We don’t have any campaigns planned,” Burress said. “We’re watching it very closely to see if people are buying into what they are saying. If the numbers move the other way, all we have to do is educate people about the truth, and they will become more angry.”

Proponents of the amendment, which was supported by 68 percent of voters, contend that gays and lesbians should not be classified as a protected group with the same status as those identified by race, religion or age.

Turner believes that voters will reverse their decision of a decade ago.

“Perceptions and understandings change,” Turner said. “We enjoy a broad base of support.”