Gay News from London

Ohio gay marriage ban used to justify domestic violence

Darnell Forte stands accused in Cleveland, Ohio, of slapping his live-in girlfriend - and he asked the judge to throw out his domestic violence charge saying such a charge should be reserved for married couples and he used Ohio's amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions as his defense. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Stuart Friedman denied Forte's request, but only because the domestic violence charge was filed in August, before Ohio's marriage amendment passed. Ohio's ACLU filed a court brief in support of continuing to apply the domestic violence law to unmarried couples. At least 11 similar requests have been made on behalf of people charged with domestic violence in the Cleveland area.
The Morning Journal [Date: 14-Feb-05 ]