Gay marriage odds-n-ends

Lots of developments this week, probably because this is the beginning of the year and all the legislative bodies are decided what will be debated this year. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of these measures in our favor just fizzled out. The ones against us, though, have to be done before 2008, of course.

• A Michigan appeals court decided that the anti-marriage amendment passed this past year in that state denies any benefit to same-sex couples who work for the state or state universities.
• Two Democrats in Connecticut announced their intention to propose a bill to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
• Two bills (an anti-marriage amendment and a DOMA) were defeated in committee in New Mexico. Shocker, it fell along that party line.
• An anti-marriage amendment passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in Indiana, once again along that party line.
• In New Hampshire, a Republican will introduce a bill for "Contractual Cohabitation" for both same and opposite sex partners.
• The Wyoming Senate passed a bill to prevent recognition of same-sex marriages performed out-of-state, because their own ban on same-sex marriage, the federal DOMA, and Massachusetts' own law preventing out-of-staters from marrying there aren't enough.
• Hawaiian Democrats introduced bills in the state House and Senate for civil unions.
• Christine Quinn, the New York City Council Speaker, introduced a bill to patch up the city's domestic partnership registry.