LJWorld.com

Topeka — Now that Kansas voters have changed the state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, what's next?

The Rev. Terry Fox of Wichita, one of the primary supporters of the same-sex marriage ban, said Christians have been energized by the debate over same-sex marriage and they are eager to flex their political muscles.

"This has awakened the body of Christ," Fox said.

Fox helped turn defeat of the amendment in the Legislature in 2004 to victory for his side at the polls Tuesday night. The amendment passed by 70 percent to 30 percent.

"We never dreamed we would have this margin of victory," he said.

Next in his sights, he said, is "keeping an eye on evolution and abortion clinics."

Led by advocates opposed to abortion, the Legislature has sent Gov. Kathleen Sebelius a bill that would increase regulation of abortion clinics. Sebelius vetoed a similar proposal in 2003.

And on the evolution front, the conservative-led State Board of Education is holding hearings next month that pit the teaching of evolution against the teaching of intelligent design.

Those who organized in opposition to the same-sex marriage ban said they intended to stay active too, if for nothing else but to play defense against Fox's side.

Federal courts likely to overturn state's constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage, supporter says 6News video: Anti-amendment group vows to fight on (04-05-05) Douglas County alone rejects ban (04-06-05) 6News video: Same-sex marriage amendment affects gay families (04-03-05) 1 in 3 gay couples in Kansas are parents (04-03-05) Religion mixes with politics in marriage vote (04-03-05) Gay marriage ban poses unintended consequences (03-28-05) Knights of Columbus gives $100,000 to support amendment (03-28-05) Same-sex marriage donations pour in (3-22-05) Donations: Amendment supporters Donations: Amendment opponents

"The voices of fairness will continue to fight in this state," said Diane Silver, a gay parent from Lawrence.

Steve Brown, of Prairie Village, the president of the Democratic Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender Caucus, said eventually the fundamentalists would go to far.

"It's fundamentalist Christian values being shoved down the throats of non-fundamentalist Christian Kansans. They're going to reach a point where non-fundamentalist people will stand up," he said.

Lawrence resident Bruce Ney, chairman of Kansans for Fairness, said gays and lesbians feared that fundamentalists would next take aim at prohibiting homosexual couples from adopting children or serving as foster parents.

A recent study by the Urban Institute ranked Kansas 45th nationally for the per capita rate of gay couples, with just under 4,000 couples among the state's 2.68 million residents. But Kansas ranked eighth in the percentage of same-sex couples -- about one-third -- who have a child under 18 in the household.

Fox has never talked publicly about the possibility of promoting such measures, and a number of conservative lawmakers contacted said they hadn't either.

But legal issues surrounding the amendment, and similar amendments approved in other states, have raised questions.

Opponents of the amendment have said it could strip rights and protections enjoyed by unmarried couples -- gay or heterosexual -- that they currently enjoy.

But Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, R-Independence and an attorney, downplayed those concerns.

"The reality of the amendment is that very little has changed," said Schmidt, who supported the amendment.

Atty. Gen. Phill Kline, a supporter of the amendment, issued a statement Wednesday that touched only on whether the amendment would prohibit private employers from extending benefits "in the manner they see fit."

He said it would not.

Kline also said he intended to defend the amendment if it was challenged on constitutional grounds.