LGBT couples already married will remain married
The California high court upheld the same-sex marriage ban in the Golden State. The court decision will allow the 18,000 marriages that were performed before the Prop 8 vote last November to stand. Both sides in this case have indicated they may appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Though the 18,000 married couples will stay married, an estimated one million or more individuals in California have been denied the right to marry in the near future.
Joe Solmonese President of Human Right’s Campaign (HRC) stated “Today’s decision hurts. But we have known this pain before. Ours is a movement powered by resilience. Once again, we will turn our anger into action. In fact, we have already begun. To secure marriage equality, we know we must broaden, diversify and deepen faith-based support.”
Fred Karger, Founder, Californians against Hate said “We are deeply disappointed with today’s majority decision issued by the California Supreme Court. As the county moves forward on gay and lesbian equality, our Supreme Court took a giant step backwards.”
Gay & Lesbian Alliance against Defamation (GLAAD) President Neil G. Giuliano expressed profound disappointment in the California Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Proposition 8. “Today, we express our deepest disappointment in the California Supreme Court’s decision, which continues to deprive an entire class of Californians the fundamental freedom to marry.”
Rea Carey, Executive Director National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said, “This is a day of immensely conflicted feelings. Banning the fundamental freedom to marry for same-sex couples is unfair, unjust and flies in the face of progress occurring throughout the country, from the Iowa heartland to the rocky shores of Maine. ” She continued, “That California is taking a step backward at this moment in history is disconcertingly out of step with society’s growing support for equality, and personally painful to committed couples who will be blocked from marrying in California. It is a travesty that the court has permitted a simple majority to use the initiative process to strip a fundamental right from a minority group.
The Task Force also said “We are pleased, however, for the more than 18,000 same-sex couples who legally married before the ban took effect and will see those marriages remain intact. But there is no getting around the fact that stripping basic freedoms from people by majority vote is cruel and morally wrong. As long as Proposition 8 remains in effect, untold numbers of same-sex couples will be relegated to second-class status. We refuse to settle for this inequity, and are committed to working with our partners in California to eradicate this terrible injustice and achieve full equality.”
