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(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the Grand Canyon State support a proposal that would ban same-sex marriage, according to a poll by the Arizona Republic. 57 per cent of respondents would vote in favour of an initiative defining marriage as a union between a man and woman.

During the January 2004 State of the Union address, United States president George W. Bush said, "Activist judges (...) have begun redefining marriage by court order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives."

In 2004, marriage certificates were issued to same-sex couples by local governments in the states of California, Oregon, New Mexico and New York. Last May, the state of Massachusetts allowed gay and lesbian partners to apply for marriage licenses, the first state-sanctioned homosexual weddings in the U.S.

Over the past two years, 18 American states have enacted amendments to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Arizona's constitution does not explicitly ban same-sex marriage.

In order to get the Protect Marriage Amendment in the ballot for the November 2006 election, proponents require at least 183,000 valid signatures by next July. The amendment attempts to make it illegal to create a "legal status for unmarried persons (...) that is similar to that of marriage."

Civil unions—currently available in the states of Vermont and Connecticut—give same-sex partners the same legal rights of married couples such as inheritance, insurance and hospital visiting privileges. A California law grants domestic partners the same legal rights of married couples, with the exception of filing joint income tax returns.

Polling Data

Would you vote in favour or against an initiative defining marriage as a union between a man and woman?

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