Last November, the Massachusetts Supreme Court lobbed a bombshell in the battle over gay marriage when it ordered its state legislature to accommodate same-sex unions. Far from being a problem limited only to the Bay State, the issue will likely spill over its borders into all 50 states because of a Constitutional provision which requires states to recognize one another’s marriage licenses.

Kentucky, along with 37 other states, has laws prohibiting same-sex marriage but analysts fear that preservation of traditional marriage depends on passage of HJR 56--the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) which is gaining significant support in the House of Representatives.

The FMA says, "Marriage is the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this constitution or the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.

Kentucky’s Congressional delegation is unanimously in favor of preserving traditional marriage. Four of six Congressmen are cosponsors of the FMA: Rep. Ron Lewis (R-Bowling Green), Rep. Ken Lucas (D-Union), Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Somerset) and Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Hopkinsville). Rep. Ernie Fletcher (R-Lexington) and Rep. Ann Northup (R-Louisville) say they oppose same-sex marriage and indicate they will vote for any provision that codifies traditional marriage.

Kentuckians strongly favor traditional marriage and they are verbalizing their sentiments to their Congressmen. Paige Yurachek, staffer for Sen. Mitch McConnell, said his office has received thousands of phone calls from constituents who oppose same-sex marriage. Staffers for Sen. Jim Bunning have fielded an average of 20 to 30 calls per day for the last three months, making it the "hottest issue in the senate in the last year" according to one staffer. Sen. Bunning is a co-sponsor of SJR 26—the Senate version of the FMA which was introduced on November 25.