Anti-Gay Georgia Representative Franklin Dies, Suit Brought Against New York State Claiming Senate Violated Open Meetings Law Debating Same-Sex Marriage Act Meaningless Because Of 1986 Exemption, Heather Matarazzo To Marry Longtime Girlfriend Carolyn Murphy In New York, Fort Lauderdale Wants To Be Your Same-Sex Honeymoon Destination

Cobb police have determined that there was no sign of foul play in the death of state Rep. Bobby Franklin, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Franklin, a Cobb County Republican known for his conservatism and for comparing homosexuals to adulterers and drug dealers, was found dead at his Marietta home just before 11:00 am Tuesday morning by longtime friend Pat Gartland. Franklin had complained of chest pains for a few weeks and was supposed to talk with a nurse at church about scheduling a medical appointment, said Gartland. After Franklin didn’t show up at church and didn’t respond to phone calls, Gartland went to his home, saw Franklin's truck and television on and called the sheriff’s office. More details as to the cause of death were expected from the medical examiner.

The suit brought against the State of New York for allegedly violated Legislative law in the passage of the same-sex marriage measure is apparently meaningless, The Albany Times Union reporting that in fact the state legislature has a specific, blanket, exemption from the Open Meetings Law that was enacted into law in 1985, according to Bob Freeman, executive director of the Committee on Open Government at the Department of State. Freeman explained that the Open Meetings Law had, from its original passage, an exemption for “deliberations of political committees, conferences and caucuses.” But this was unclear: courts ruled that it should be interpreted to apply narrowly to matters of party business, Freeman said. In Albany, a New York Post reporter named Fred Dicker wrote a letter to Assembly Speaker Stanley Fink, a Democrat, requesting access to the Democratic party conferences that occurred on a near-daily basis when the legislature was in session. “I even signed an affidavit,” Dicker says. “After we told them we were going to sue them, they wrote an exemption.” Indeed, as Freeman noted, the law was amended to add a second section, giving explicit, blanket authority for legislative conferences in Albany and around the state “to discuss anything including a matter of public business, notwithstanding the member of staff or guests.” It passed with quickly. For purposes of this section, the deliberations of political committees, conferences and caucuses means a private meeting of members of the senate or assembly of the state of New York, or of the legislative body of a county, city, town or village, who are members or adherents of the same political party, without regard to (i) the subject matter under discussion, including discussions of public business, (ii) the majority or minority status of such political committees, conferences and caucuses or (iii) whether such political committees, conferences and caucuses invite staff or guests to participate in their deliberations. Consequently, this makes a difficult case for New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedom, which claims in a lawsuit filed Monday morning in Livingston County that the Senate violated the Open Meetings Law while debating same-sex marriage.

With New York becoming the sixth, and largest, state to legalize same-sex marriage, The Associated Press reports that actress and activist Heather Matarazzo plans to wed longtime girlfriend Carolyn Murphy. “My eyes and spirit have opened up since I found someone that I get to share my life with,” Matarazzo says of Murphy. But the couple had no desire to make history last Sunday by getting married on the first day the law took effect. “I always wanted a wedding,” Murphy says. “Not a trip to City Hall.” Wanting to share their union with their closest friends and family, the couple opted to plan their dream wedding. Though they could offer few detail at this time, both seem to fancy a bucolic setting in the fall or spring for the ceremony and reception. And with large families on both sides, Murphy expects the wedding list to top 200 guests. For the ceremony, Matarazzo envisions wearing a simple, off-white dress, but has yet to find the right one. “Oh jeez, Louise,” she says. “I’m looking forward to seeing what selections the universe brings to me. When I see it I will just know.” Murphy, a recording artist currently working on her first album, says she will likely wear a white pants suit when she walks down the aisle. “But a sexy one,” she assures. While planning a wedding is a luxury for many couples, time has not been on their side in the past. Engaged for three years, the couple originally planned to marry in California two years ago. But their plans were nixed when Proposition 8 eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry in the state. Now they hope that impending court challenges do not reverse New York’s law before they can say, “I do.” Ironically, Proposition 8 offered a bit of a reprieve for Murphy who said she was beginning to feel exploited with the hoopla surrounding their wedding — offers of free wedding gowns and gifts from media and public relations outfits. “There was a little part of me that was relieved that we would have a second chance to do it our way,” she said. The couple experienced another bump on their way to the alter when they returned to New York and met with then-governor, David Patterson. “He led us to believe gay marriage would be legal last September, and he even agreed to marry us,” Murphy said. “We started planning on that, and that went away.”

Tourism operators in Fort Lauderdale are hoping that New York's same-sex marriage law will bring new business to the sunny Florida city, Reuters reporting that this week they stepped up efforts to promote Fort Lauderdale as a honeymoon destination for same-sex couples from New York. "This is a great opportunity," said Richard Grey, the owner of the Royal Palms Resorts and Spa. The 50-room luxury hotel, whose clients are exclusively gay men, launched the Royal Bliss honeymoon package on Monday. For $6,400 the Royal Palms will treat guests to a six-day vacation that includes limo pick up at the airport, spa treatments and champagne lunches by the pool. Some of Gray's local competitors are also promoting honeymoon packages that celebrate gay marriage in New York. The Preferred Pride package at the Atlantic Resort and Spa offers oceanfront rooms starting at $159 per night. Hotels are not the only businesses seeking to profit from the hundreds of daily wedding celebrations that began to take place in New York on Sunday. Wedding planners, cake bakers and jewellery makers in New York City and throughout the state, have already reported healthy trade. But Fort Lauderdale is one of the first cities outside New York State, to try to capitalize on the Marriage Equality Act. On Sunday its tourism bureau placed an ad in the style section of the New York Times. "After Your I Do's Consider Our Proposal," it said, encouraging readers to visit the city's official visitors site, for the chance to win a free Fort Lauderdale honeymoon. The move underscores the importance of gay travelers - and New York tourists - to Fort Lauderdale. The city of 165,000 has more than 30 guesthouses that cater to homosexual visitors, and a vibrant gay community centered in Wilton Manors. There is also a large population of retired New Yorkers. "Most hotels have a romantic package (for same-sex couples) of sorts," said Jessica Taylor, a spokeswoman for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center and Visitors Bureau. "With the fact that a large part of our customer base comes from New York, this is a great opportunity." Local tourism officials estimate the city hosted 1 million gay travelers in 2010. New York to Fort Lauderdale is the busiest air route in the country with more than 8.5 million passengers per year