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Wisconsin gay couples who marry outside state could face penalty
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
7/3/2008
"When Dick Myers heard that California was going to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, he and his partner of nearly 13 years considered traveling there to get married.
"That is until Myers and his partner learned of state law that makes it a crime for Wisconsin residents to enter into marriage in another state if the marriage would be prohibited in Wisconsin.
"The law imposes a penalty for those who enter into a marriage that's prohibited or declared void in Wisconsin of up to $10,000 and nine months in prison.
"...David Buckel, marriage project director for Lambda Legal, said other states have similar laws, but Wisconsin's imposes the stiffest penalties.
"We put the information out there because we're deeply worried about same-sex couples in Wisconsin who may not know about this," Buckel said.