WHAT IS CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 8?
Proposition 8 (officially called the Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry Act) is an initiative on the November 2008 California voter ballot which, if passed, would alter the California Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. If Proposition 8 passes same-sex marriage will be illegal in California. This is the first time voters will be asked to ban same-sex marriage in a state where gay couples already have won the right to wed. The original title of the measure was "California Marriage Protection Act," but it was changed to "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry Act" by Attorney General Jerry Brown to accurately reflect what the true meaning of the measure.
CALIFORNIA GAY MARRIAGE PROMPTS INITIATIVE:
On May 15, 2008, in a 4-3 decision, California's Supreme Court ruled in favor of plaintiffs (comprised of gay rights group Equality California, almost two dozen gay couples, and the city of San Francisco), who argued that the 2000 law banning same-sex marriage in the state was discriminatory. The decision made California the second U.S. state to legalize gay marriage. Thousands of same-sex couples flocked to the altars. The ruling prompted an anti-gay marriage campaign, which resulted in Proposition 8.
WHO’S BEHIND PROPOSITION 8?
A conservative group of organizers with ties to the anti-gay group Focus on the Family placed Proposition 8 on the ballot. The initiative has gained very public support from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, California's Roman Catholic bishops and several evangelical ministries.
IF PROPOSITION 8 PASSES, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO EXISTING SAME-SEX MARRIAGES?
California Attorney General Jerry Brown says that existing gay marriages would most likely remain legal even if Proposition 8 passes. "I believe that marriages that have been entered into subsequent to the [May 15] Supreme Court opinion will be recognized by the California Supreme Court," Brown told The Chronicle.
HOW YOU CAN HELP DEFEAT PROPOSITION 8:
You can help defeat Proposition 8 by donating to the campaign or volunteering at NoOnProp8.com.
Is it that easy to keep changing the law?
ReplyDeletethat's sad to see that something people have strived so hard to change be capable of being thwarted so easily and without little difficulty. The law should have been just as solid as the civil rights initiatives in the 1960's and 1970's. That's not fair to have it up and repealed like it was just a fad.
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