LITTLE ROCK (AP) – Arkansans will be able to vote in November on whether to put a definition of marriage – a union of a man and a woman – in the state’s constitution.

An amendment to ban same-sex marriage was certified as having enough signatures so it can appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot.

In addition to specifying that marriage be between a man and a woman, the measure would ban civil unions between members of the same sex in Arkansas.

Arkansas already has a law banning same-sex marriage but the ballot measure, if it passes, would enhance the ban to the constitutional level, making it non-reviewable by a state court.

Citing “very unsettled” times, Arkansas Marriage Amendment President Jerry Cox said at a news conference that now was the time to pass such an amendment about what he called a “hot issue.”

John Thomas, a spokesman for the Arkansas Marriage Amendment Committee, which led the signature drive, said constitutional stature was necessary to prevent a state court from striking down the measure, as a court did in Massachusetts.

“It is simply because we needed something that would withstand the scrutiny of state courts. A simple statute can be struck down by the state Supreme Court and what we wanted this to do is to protect that from happening,” Thomas said.

The proposal carries no penalties and isn’t intended to stir up animosity toward any groups, he said.

“We’re running this campaign very professionally,” Thomas said. “We don’t think that defining marriage as one man or one woman is hateful at all. It’s just common sense.”

But opponents of the measure say it will reinforce discriminatory behavior toward gays and lesbians.

“You’re basically relegating gays and lesbians to second-class citizens,” said Eric Reece, executive director of the Arkansas Equality Network.

Not only will “this heinous amendment” harm thousands of gay and lesbian couples by banning marriage and civil unions, Reece said, but it would also threaten domestic partnership benefits.

“Are Arkansans ready to deny health-insurance benefits to same-sex couples? Are they ready to vote to codify discrimination in the Arkansas state constitution?” Reece asked.

Cox said the proposal “absolutely” does not promote discrimination. He said opponents were trying to cloud the issue by saying it would end health benefits for same-sex couples. He noted that employers, not the state, choose whether to offer the benefits.

“Employers do what they want in the best interest of their employees,” he said. “This amendment allows the free market to kick in.”

CONWAY, Ark. (AP) – Two former radio station personalities have surrendered to police after being charged with felonies following a stunt at a Pride parade.

Philip Beard, known on the air as Phlip Satchel, and Christine Brown are accused of giving a sexually explicit DVD to a teenager at the parade last month.

They were charged with two counts each of possessing or attempting to give away obscene material.

The pair had worked at KABZ-FM. It’s unclear whether the two quit or were fired.

A court hearing is set for Aug. 2.

Earlier, a Greenbrier resident was charged with harassment after cow manure was spread along the parade route.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Claiming the potential to tap as many as 350,000 voters, Equality Florida is starting a mobilization effort aimed at getting gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people to the polls this fall.

The Tampa-based human rights group is joining with 30 other groups in tapping the pool of potential voters, hoping a strong turnout among those communities could make the difference in tight elections ranging from the presidential race to local offices.

Groups such as the Florida Consumer Action Network, the Human Rights Campaign and People for the American Way are joining the effort.

“Obviously Florida is a battleground state,” said Nadine Smith, executive director for Equality Florida. “We will be a deciding factor in November.”

The groups will begin with voter registration drives, including one already under way in Miami-Dade County. That will be followed with mailings, telephone banks and door-to-door canvassing to encourage voters to either vote early by absentee ballot or turn out on Election Day.

The effort comes at a time when state issues important to those constituencies, such as same-sex marriage and adoption, are also on the national agenda, Smith said.

Their voting drive announcement coincidentally came as an appeals court in Lakeland ruled that transsexuals in Florida cannot legally marry and advised state lawmakers to take up the issue. It also came two days after a federal appeals court in Atlanta narrowly upheld, with strong dissenting opinions attacking the law, Florida’s blanket ban on adoptions by gays and lesbians.

Smith said the effort will not endorse specific candidates, but will provide voters with information on which ones are considered to be attacking Equality Florida’s interests.

“At every level of government, anti-gay officials have taken aim at our families and they have done it for political gain,” Smith said. “There is a cost for attacking our community.”

Officials from the Christian Coalition of Florida, which often oppose Equality Florida on political issues, did not immediately return calls for comment.

Among the most religiously conservative candidates in any race in Florida is former House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, who is seeking the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat. Byrd has long been a nemesis of Equality Florida.

Byrd’s campaign said it did not feel threatened by such a voter mobilization drive.

“I think that Speaker Byrd knows that his stand in defense of the sanctity of marriage is strongly in the mainstream and any extreme efforts to influence the election are unlikely to succeed,” said campaign manager Wayne Garcia.

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – While the same-sex marriage issue simmers in much of the country, a law that will recently took effect in Maine clarifies domestic partnership rights and creates a domestic partnership registry.

“Symbolically, it’s very big,” said Betsy Smith, executive director of Equality Maine, formerly the Maine Lesbian-Gay Political Alliance. Through the registry, “We have statewide recognition of our families.”

July 30 marked the 90th day after the close of this year’s legislative session – the day bills that were approved during the four-month legislative session became law. The new laws affect a spectrum Mainers from ATV users to woodsmen.

Under the new law that sets up a domestic registry, a person faced with the death of a domestic partner will be allowed to inherit property of the deceased in the same manner as a surviving spouse.

The law also says a partner would be considered first next of kin when determining who has the right to make funeral and burial arrangements. The law makes no distinction between GLBT and heterosexual partners.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A majority of Missourians favor a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, according to a new poll.

The poll, commissioned by The Kansas City Star and KMBC-TV, found that 62 percent of respondents would vote in favor of the amendment; 29 percent would vote against it; 8 percent were undecided; and 1 percent said they would not vote on the issue.

“It fits with the overall conservative nature of the state,” said George Connor, a political scientist at Southwest Missouri State University. “There’s not a lot of middle ground on this. There aren’t a lot of undecideds.”

Market Research Institute surveyed 600 Missouri residents for the poll, which has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

The proposed amendment says, “That to be valid and recognized in this state, a marriage shall exist only between a man and a woman.”

Pollsters asked respondents, “Missourians in the August primary will vote on the adoption of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the state. If the election were being held today, how would you vote on the amendment?”

“That’s very encouraging news,” said Vicky Hartzler, spokeswoman for the Missouri Coalition to Protect Marriage, upon hearing the poll results. “It shows that 71 percent oppose gay marriage strongly or somewhat. People in Missouri don’t want to see traditional marriage thrown out for an untested social experiment.”

But Doug Gray, campaign manager for the Constitution Defense League, which opposes the amendment, criticized the poll for not including the actual ballot language in its question.

Gray said he recognizes that opponents have a lot of work to do. His organization plans to start paid advertising in the next two weeks.

“When voters learn we already have a law that bans gay marriage in Missouri, our numbers move significantly,” Gray said.

Almost half of the poll respondents, or 46 percent, said there should be no legal recognition of a same-sex couple’s relationship. Thirty-three percent said same-sex couples should be allowed to form civil unions but not legally marry. Only 14 percent said same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry; 7 percent said they did not know or had no answer.