California Legislature OKs gay marriage bill

Post by **Roofus** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 1:18 am

The California Legislature on Tuesday became the first legislative body in the country to approve same-sex marriages, as gay-rights advocates overcame two earlier defeats in the Assembly.

The 41-35 vote sends the bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had no comment on the bill when it cleared the Senate last week. His office did not immediately respond late Tuesday to a call seeking comment.

The bill?s supporters compared the legislation to earlier civil rights campaigns, including efforts to eradicate slavery and give women the right to vote.

?Do what we know is in our hearts,? said the bill?s sponsor, San Francisco Democrat Mark Leno. ?Make sure all California families will have the same protection under the law.?

Leno?s bill had failed in the Assembly by four votes in June, but he was confident he could get it through on a second try after the Senate approved a same-sex marriage bill last week.

Democratic Assemblyman Paul Koretz called bans on gay marriage ?the last frontier of bigotry and discrimination, and it?s time we put an end to it.?

Assemblyman Tom Umberg, a Democrat who abstained when another gay marriage bill fell four votes short in June, said he was concerned about what his three children would think of him if he didn?t join those ?who sought to take a leadership role in terms of tolerance, equality and fairness.?

But opponents repeatedly cited the public?s vote five years ago to approve Proposition 22, an initiative put on the ballot by gay marriage opponents to keep California from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states or countries.

?History will record that you betrayed your constituents and their moral and ethical values,? said Republican Assemblyman Jay La Suer.

The vote was hailed by gay and lesbian advocates, including Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, a backer of the bill.

?As the debate today shows, love conquers fear, principle conquers politics and equality conquers injustice, and the governor can now secure his legacy as a true leader by signing this bill,? Kors said.

California already gives same-sex couples many of the rights and duties of marriage if they register with the state as domestic partners.

Massachusetts? highest court ruled in November 2003 that the state constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry. The nation?s first state-sanctioned, same-sex weddings began taking place in May 2004.

Vermont began offering civil unions in 2000, after a ruling by the state?s Supreme Court. Earlier this year, Connecticut became the first state to approve civil unions without being forced by the courts.

Regardless of what action the governor takes, California?s debate over gay marriage will continue on several fronts.

A state appeals court is considering challenges to a lower court ruling that overturned California laws banning recognition of gay marriages. And opponents of same-sex marriage are trying to qualify initiatives for the 2006 ballot that would amend the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.

Link

Hooray for us

Freeze · Post by **Freeze** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 6:07 am

Roofus wrote: ?History will record that you betrayed your constituents and their moral and ethical values,? said Republican Assemblyman Jay La Suer.

Blah blah yadda-yadda.

Good day for the US in my opinion.

not just souLLy now · Post by **not just souLLy now** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 7:26 am

so a hurricane must be heading california's way now right?

Rand Linden · Post by **Rand Linden** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 11:01 am

not just souLLy now wrote:so a hurricane must be heading california's way now right?

Not yet -- that requires stickers on books that say "Evolution is only a theory" and banning any form of civil unions altogether.

Rand.

az_bont · Post by **az_bont** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:10 pm

Nice one, California!

Dreamcast4life · Post by **Dreamcast4life** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:19 pm

*Shakes head* whatever.....

Same sex marriage......Just reminds me how messed up the world really is.
whatever.

AgentGreen · Post by **AgentGreen** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 4:49 pm

Dreamcast4life wrote:*Shakes head* whatever.....

Same sex marriage......Just reminds me how messed up the world really is.
whatever.

*shakes head* Whatever...

Bigots who don't know how to type... Just reminds me how messed up the world really is. Whatever.

AuroEdge · Post by **AuroEdge** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 5:08 pm

Who would've thought the idiots of DCEmu would rise up again to claim bigotry and what have you

?

Arnie hasn't signed off on the bill yet nor has he vetoed it so it remains to be seen what will become of it. Knowing Arine's opinion of girlie men I suspect he'll veto it if he doesn't pocket veto it.

BTW, did you know there was a huge gay rally planned in New Orleans on monday, the day Hurricane Katrina hit?

Egotistical EvilN · Post by **Egotistical EvilN** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 5:17 pm

Just one more example of things that are wrong with our nation.

Ex-Cyber · Post by **Ex-Cyber** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 5:29 pm

I still don't see what's wrong with abolishing all notion of "marriage" from the law and leaving that to religious institutions. Any classification that's needed for government policy (tax, census, etc.) should be smarter than that and account for various nontraditional living arrangements / family structures. But that's just my inner engineer talking, I guess...

Post by **Roofus** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 5:46 pm

Egotistical EvilN wrote:Just one more example of things that are wrong with our nation.

What is wrong, exactly?

jaredfogle · Post by **jaredfogle** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 5:48 pm

Right on.

I hope the Terminator lets it through without hassle.

not just souLLy now · Post by **not just souLLy now** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 6:04 pm

Egotistical EvilN wrote:Just one more example of things that are wrong with our nation.

Obesity and Bigotry are another couple.

Egotistical EvilN · Post by **Egotistical EvilN** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 6:04 pm

Roofus wrote:
Egotistical EvilN wrote:Just one more example of things that are wrong with our nation.
What is wrong, exactly?

Dreamcast4life is using my oxygen.

btm4k · Post by **btm4k** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 6:04 pm

Roofus wrote:
Egotistical EvilN wrote:Just one more example of things that are wrong with our nation.
What is wrong, exactly?

homosexuality, exactly.

Post by **Roofus** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 6:15 pm

btm4k wrote:
Roofus wrote:
Egotistical EvilN wrote:Just one more example of things that are wrong with our nation.
What is wrong, exactly?
homosexuality, exactly.

That's really a matter of opinion, isn't it?

AgentGreen · Post by **AgentGreen** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 6:41 pm

not just souLLy now wrote:
Egotistical EvilN wrote:Just one more example of things that are wrong with our nation.
Obesity and Bigotry are another couple.

And obese bigots

Orange_Ribbon · Post by **Orange_Ribbon** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 9:17 pm

So Greay, when are we getting a little cottage in CA? I wanna be Domestic!!

CupNoodle · Post by **CupNoodle** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 10:04 pm

a little off topic and a litte on. Does anyone know if the phelps family has gone to new orleans to protest the US?

GyroVorbis · Post by **GyroVorbis** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 10:12 pm

Dreamcast4life wrote:*Shakes head* whatever.....

Same sex marriage......Just reminds me how messed up the world really is.
whatever.

They aren't hurting you. Greay is going to KICK your ASS! He will set you up the bomb, dude. You have no chance to survive make your time!!

Seriously... do you guys just get off on restricting the rights/privelages of others? If it's so bad, then don't marry a man. What bussiness of your is it if a guy marries another?

How would you like it if I told you that you're not going to worship god, and you get to worship Mohammed? It's the same damn thing--you believe your god is "true" and "good" and all, but they think you're wrong and that you need to worship their god.

You can either be a little whiney bitch about it (which is a helluva lot more "girlie man"-ish) or you can just suck it up and STFU and let people live their lives as they please.

I'm straight and all, but still--
<3 Greay. <3 teh gayz.

California Legislature OKs gay marriage bill

California Legislature OKs gay marriage bill

Re: California Legislature OKs gay marriage bill