Friday, May 16, 2008

Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

Yesterday the California Supreme Court ruled that the state law banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Chief Justice Ron George said in the written opinion that, limiting the designation of marriage to a union 'between a man and a woman' is unconstitutional and must be stricken from the statute. This makes California the 2nd state in the nation, after Massachusetts, to recognize the right of all persons to marry whom they choose.

Definitely a historic decision, definitely should have happened a long time ago. This is just so basic: you fall in love and get married. It shouldn't matter if you are part of a same-sex couple or a traditional heterosexual couple. You deserve the right to marry, to legitimize your relationship, to be able to stand-up in front of family and friends and say, this is the person I love and want to spend my life with. I applaud the decision of the Supreme Court and anticipate that more states will follow our lead!

In future years when same-sex marriage is simply a given, I hope that people remember a couple of things. One is the courage it took for Mayor Gavin Newsom to allow same-sex marriages in San Francisco. The other is the courage and commitment of all those couples who have continued fighting for this most basic right.

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

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