ACTIVISTS UPSET BY KNIGHT BILL\Proposal bars recognition of homosexual marriages.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

In a move that has outraged local gays and lesbians, Assemblyman William J. "Pete" Knight has introduced a bill that would prevent California from recognizing same-sex marriages performed legally outside the state.

The Republican lawmaker introduced his bill, AB 1982, Thursday in anticipation of expected legalization of same-sex marriages in Hawaii next summer.

"I don't believe there's a requirement for same-sex marriages to be legitimized by a government agency," said Knight, a candidate for the 17th State Senate District. "It goes against the basic foundation of society."

Gay marriages now are not legally recognized anywhere in the nation. Hawaii would become the first state to legalize same-sex marriages, forcing other states to recognize the unions under the federal Constitution's full faith and credit clause, which requires states to honor one another's laws and official acts, including marriage.

If Knight's bill is signed into law it would invalidate same-sex marriages performed legally outside California.

For gay men and women looking to marry, the bill amounts to discrimination that would deprive them of rights and responsibilities enjoyed by heterosexuals.

"Why is it so important that they not be allowed to be married?" asked Thomas Dicioccio, a gay activist from Valencia, who has testified before the state Legislature on behalf of AIDS organizations. "Why is it important to not recognize a vow of love between two people?"

In recent years, gay marriages have received increasing attention across the nation. In Hawaii, a state government-created commission issued a report recommending acceptance of same-sex marriages.

But the idea seems to have failed elsewhere.

Last year, the Utah Legislature passed a law prohibiting recognition of gay marriages, and Alaska lawmakers introduced a proposal limiting marriage to male and female couples.

Knight said his bill enjoys the support of 29 of 41 Assembly Republicans.

As states wrestle with same-sex marriages, gay couples have turned to commitment ceremonies that publicly affirm their love before friends and families.

On Halloween, Roopwant Sumal and her companion declared their love in a commitment ceremony at a Santa Monica park.

If Hawaii sanctions gay marriages, the 25-year-old West Hollywood woman and her friend have vowed to hop the next plane to the Big Island.

"It's not economic perks," said Sumal, a financial administrator for the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center in Hollywood. "We just want the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else."

Knight, however, said permitting gay marriages would undermine traditional unions between men and women.

"The legal and financial benefits of traditional marriages are designed to foster the best condition for raising children," he said. "Since same-sex couples are unable to produce offspring together, they must view marriage as a reservoir of economic perks."

But proponents of gay marriages said love is the primary motivation behind their desire for public acceptance. They said they're not asking for special treatment.

"All we're asking for is equality," Dicioccio said. "We're not asking to be treated any different. Only to be treated equally."