Writer Elizabeth Howton, who legally married her partner in California and will have her marriage recognized when she moves to New York, rejects the idea being put forth by leading activists that couples should refrain from suing the federal government to gain recognition for their unions. Their thinking "is well-reasoned, strategically correct -- and doomed to failure," she writes. "The battle for gay marriage has always been an anarchic, guerrilla affair, advancing in fits and starts through ill-advised lawsuits rather than a coordinated strategy. From the Hawaii case that started it all to Gavin Newsom's San Francisco show, nothing ...

The sponsors of a ballot initiative that seeks to ban same-sex marriage in California say Republican presidential candidate John McCain has endorsed the measure. The ProtectMarriage.com campaign says it received an e-mail from McCain Thursday in which the Arizona senator expressed his support for the group's efforts "to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman." McCain has previously said that while he does not back banning same-sex marriage at the federal level, he thinks it is appropriate for states to do so. McCain backs Calif. gay marriage ban San Jose Mercury News,  USA  ...