California Legalizes Gay Marriage

In a possibly historic decision, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of equality rather than bigotry and declared that gay couples should be allowed to marry. It was only possibly historic because opponents of same-sex marriage are going to put the issue on the ballot in November and attempt to overturn the ruling. However, the California Supereme Court is primarily Republican and California’s Republican governor has said that he won’t support a ban.

Chief Justice Ronald George explained why he felt it was the right decision:

“In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation,”

San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom echoed his comments and gave them a moral context:

“It’s about human dignity. It’s about human rights. It’s about time in California, as California goes, so goes the rest of the nation. It’s inevitable. This door’s wide open now. It’s going to happen, whether you like it or not.”

James Dobson, chairmen of the Conservative Focus on the Family however doesn’t believe that gay people deserve the same rights as heterosexuals:

“It will be up to the people of California to preserve traditional marriage by passing a constitutional amendment. … Only then can they protect themselves from this latest example of judicial tyranny,”