Kansas Amendment 1, which was put before voters on April 5, 2005, is an amendment to the

Kansas Constitution The Wyandotte Constitution is the constitution of the U.S. state of Kansas. Amended many times (including a universal suffrage amendment in 1912), the Wyandotte Constitution is still the constitution of Kansas. Background The Kansas Territory wa ...

that makes it unconstitutional for the state to recognize or perform

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

s or

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...

s. The referendum was approved by almost 70% of the voters.Election Statistics
Kansas Secretary of State. Retrieved on December 22, 2006. The amendment states:Kansas Constitution, Article Fifteen
section 16. Retrieved on October 9, 2014.

''(a) The marriage contract is to be considered in law as a civil contract. Marriage shall be constituted by one man and one woman only. All other marriages are declared to be contrary to the public policy of this state and are void.'' ''(b) No relationship, other than a marriage, shall be recognized by the state as entitling the parties to the rights or incidents of marriage.''

The

Kansas Equality Coalition The Equality Kansas, formerly Kansas Equality Coalition, is a statewide LGBT rights organization whose mission is to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. The coalition seeks to ensure the dignity, saf ...

grew out of the organized but ultimately unsuccessful political opposition to the amendment. The KEC is a statewide group of people determined to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

Impact of Supreme Court decisions

Following the Supreme Court decision in Schmidt v. Moriarty in 2014, 19 Kansas counties began issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples. Following the ruling in

Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of th ...

in 2015, all Kansas counties were issuing same sex marriage certificates. The combination of the Supreme Court decisions, effectively, albeit unofficially, overturned the constitutional amendment.

References

External links

State Ballot Measures, 2005
2005 ballot measures in the United States 2005 in LGBTQ history 2005 Kansas elections Kansas ballot measures LGBTQ in Kansas Same-sex marriage ballot measures in the United States U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions {{Kansas-election-stub