California Supreme Court Delivers Marriage Equality Victory

May 15, 2008

Today, the California Supreme Court delivered a 120 page decision overturning California’s insane law that defines marriage as only being between a man and a woman. They ruled that the marriage law was unconstitutional.

“limiting the designation of marriage to a ‘union between a man and a woman’ is unconstitutional, and that the remaining statutory language must be understood as making the designation of marriage available to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples.“

This ruling can be appealed to the US Supreme Court and foes of Marriage Equality can try to change the constitution. There is an initiative that is trying to qualify for the November ballot that is attempting to change the constitution. I got calls into the Secretary of State and the initiative’s supporters in regards to its status.

Marinmaven.com fully and passionately supports marriage equality in California and in the United States. As a heterosexual woman in a 13 year old marriage, marriage equity will never threaten our marriage. Gays and lesbians are tax paying, law abiding citizens of this state and this country. There is absolutely no reason for these citizens to be treated any differently when they enter a county clerk to obtain a marriage certificate. Many, many citizens including myself have married outside of any church (via Humanist minister) and our marriage is no less valid than those sanctioned by the church. There are many heterosexual couples who marry without the intent or the ability to procreate, and their marriages are no less valid. The Catholic Church has never been forced to recognize divorced couples, even though states allow divorces to occur.
I am tired having religious groups trying to encode their religious doctrine into law. The only belief that is encoded by allowing marriage equity is the belief that all citizens should be treated equally under the law despite what religion thinks about it. They are not defenders of marriage, since they have no idea what is really undermining the institution of marriage. Heterosexuals who have taken the marriage right far too lightly (Are you listening Britney Spears?) or use marriage to control and abuse their partner. Marriage should be reserved to two consenting and unrelated adults, period. Excluding a group of law abiding adult citizens from rights that all others take for granted is the very definition of injustice. These religious groups are insisting that a group of citizens endure laws that they themselves would loathe to live under.

The time has come to end the injustice of separate laws and unequal treatment under the law for our citizens.