Marriage Equality California Celebrates MA's Court Ruling

Marriage Equality California Celebrates MA's Court Ruling Confirming Marriage for Same-Sex Couples

Contact:

Molly McKay, Northern California Executive Director, Marriage Equality
California

Phone number: 415-875-3204

email mmckay [at] marriageequalityca.org



Marriage Equality California celebrates the Massachusetts High Court's Decision affirming that only marriage will satisfy their state's
Constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law. "In
response to anti-gay forces which sought a last-ditch effort to water
down the civil rights victory in the Goodridge decision of November
2003, the court has affirmed that creating a "separate" institution for
same-sex relationships does not pass muster," said Molly McKay,
Executive Director, Marriage Equality California, "The court has
confirmed that on May 17, 2004, same-sex couples, for the first time in
the U.S., will be provided marriage licenses and allowed to legally
marry in Massachusetts."



"It is interesting to note that May 17, 2004 is the 50th anniversary of
the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education
that held that separate but 'equal' is inherently unequal in the context
of racially segregated educational institutions and the same logic
applies to same-sex couples and the institution of marriage," noted
Davina Kotulski, author of "Why You Should Give a Damn About Gay
Marriage."



"Polls show that more and more fair-minded Americans are coming to
understand that civil marriage discrimination is wrong. Domestic
partnership is only a band-aid solution to practical problems, but it is
a cubic zirconia that must be replaced with the real thing, civil
marriage. Why have two separate institutions when all same-sex couples
want is the same obligations and protections afforded their
different-sex counterparts?, Said McKay, "It seems like a waste of
resources to maintain two separate institutions. Morever, it
stigmatizes same-sex couples in the same way that segregated water
fountains did - why have two fountains - one for 'coloreds' one for
'whites' when all people wanted was the same drink of water."



Historically, the courts enforce the Constitutional mandate of equal
protection and public opinion follows," said Kotulski. "For example, in
1968, one year after the Supreme Court found laws against interracial
marriages unconstitutional in Loving v Virginia, a New York Times poll
found that only 20% of Americans were supportive of interracial
marriage. The polls today show that opposition to same-sex marriage is
barely holding the majority of voters, and is dwindling down every day."




"This decision highlights the dangers of the proposed Federal Marriage
Amendment Act. This anti-gay proposal is a blatant attempt to
manipulate our most sacred founding document to ensure that gay and
lesbian people are denied access to the local and state political
process and to further ensure that courts do not afford gay and lesbian
people relief under either their own state guarantees or the federal
guarantee of due process and equal protection," said McKay. "This
Amendment attempts to obstruct the democratic process by restricting
state legislatures, state courts, and even the U.S. Supreme Court from
enforcing the basic Constitutional protections afforded all other
Americans. It would wipe out not just the Massachusetts decision but
also all existing and proposed domestic partnership and civil union
registries across the nation. "The civil marriage license is a
contractual relationship bestowed upon a couple by the state, not the
church. How can one be for anti-discrimination laws protecting gay and
lesbian people and support the limitation of marriage to opposite sex
couples?"



"The only person who can protect or destroy a marriage are the two
people that are in that marriage. If social conservatives come storming
into our bedrooms searching for weapons of marriage destruction, they
will come up empty handed," said McKay. "We don't want to destroy
marriage, we want to extend the state protections and responsibilities
to our families too. The Amendment will hurt elderly people in
long-term relationships, young children being raised by two loving
parents and the economically weaker partner in a dissolution of a
long-term relationship. I hope fair-minded non-gay Americans, including
our political leaders, will stand up to this attack and see it for what
it is. One cannot be opposed to marriage equality and be supportive of
gay and lesbian rights, that is a contradiction in terms."



Marriage Equality California is sponsoring a state-wide rally in support
of marriage equality at the State Capitol on Valentine's Day followed by
a marriage caravan throughout rural Northern California to raise
awareness about this critical civil right issue. See www.
<http://www.marriageequalityca.org> marriageequalityca.org for further
information.



Marriage Equality California (MECA, http://www.MarriageEqualityCA.org) is a
statewide, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to
achieving equal access to the rights and responsibilities of civil
marriage for same-sex couples.