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We reported recently on the submission of a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal Amendment 83, which denies marriage equality in Arkansas by preventing people of the same sex from marrying or enjoying any of the similar legal benefits through alternative means, such as a civil union.

The proposal is the work of Arkansans for Equality. They’ve submitted a proposal for review by the attorney general, in hopes of gathering signatures to put the measure on the ballot in 2014.

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Now comes announcement of ANOTHER marriage equality petition drive, called the Arkansas Initiative for Marriage Equality. It will submit a petition proposal Tuesday to the attorney general — the 145th anniversary of the ratification of the 14th Amendment (equal rights). It points toward a 2016 election. That will be a presidential election year. It does not propose repeal of Amendment 83, but would supercede it with an amendment proposing a staightforward prohibition of banning marriage on account of “sex or sexual orientation.”

People yearn to breathe free. Buoyed by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, the thirst for equal rights under the law is giving rise to action everywhere. In Arkansas, a state court lawsuit has been filed by 11 couples seeking marriage equality. I think another lawsuit is possible soon. The courts and voters in Arkansas may not be ready. Sooner or later, though, the day of equality will come here, too,. I think the ballot proposals and court challenges and the powerful public witness of brave people standing up to be counted, will, in time, make an enormous difference, just as it did in the 1960s in another great civil rights struggle.

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