Fridae

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has told the county clerk on Tuesday to investigate what its needs to do to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, which would breach California state law.

The newly elected Democrat said in a statement, "Less than a month ago I took the oath of office here at City Hall and swore to uphold California's Constitution, which clearly outlaws all forms of discrimination."

"Denying basic rights to members of our community will not be tolerated.

"California's Constitution is clear: discrimination is immoral, it is illegal and it is antithetical to our most cherished values - liberty and freedom," Newsom continued.

The 36-year-old, who is San Francisco's youngest mayor in more than a century, wants all "forms and documents used to apply for and issue marriage licenses" to be revised by County Clerk Nancy Alfaro so they can be provided "on a nondiscriminatory basis, without regard to gender or sexual orientation."

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a spokesman for Newsom acknowledged that the move was an act of protest as well as public policy as State law explicitly defines marriage as an act between a man and a woman, a prerequisite which Newsom considers "codified discrimination."

"What the mayor is doing is asking the county clerk to make the necessary changes so same-sex couples will no longer be discriminated against," said Peter Ragone, Newsom's spokesman.

Alfaro, the county clerk, said she supports the move and told the paper that she plans to consult with the city attorney on Wednesday to see what repercussions the city would face if it proceeds with the mayor's idea.

San Francisco's 8,902 same-sex couples make up 2.7 percent of the city's households, the highest percentage of anywhere in the country, according to the 2000 Census.

Although California is one of 38 states with specific laws barring marriage between people of the same sex, the state is widely regarded as having the second most gay-friendly laws in the US after Vermont. Last year, the legislature and then-Gov. Gray Davis approved a measure granting same-sex couples who register as domestic partners most of the legal rights and responsibilities of married spouses with the exception of filing joint income taxes.

Meanwhile in Massachusetts, legislators will reconvene on Thursday to take up what would be a third compromise proposal as two previous compromise proposals that would have allowed for civil unions � under two slightly different scenarios � rather than the full-fledged marriages the state's highest court ruled should begin mid-May, were shot down on Wednesday.