Religious Leaders Descend on Sacramento to Defend Pro-Same Sex Marriage Legislation

RELIGIOUS LEADERS DESCEND ON CALIFORNIA ’S CAPITOL IN SUPPORT OF EQUALITY CALIFORNIA ’S SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LEGISLATION

EQCA-Sponsored Marriage License Bill by Assemblyman Mark Leno Scheduled for Assembly Judiciary Committee Vote on April 20th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 19, 2004)
Contact: 415.581.0005 or email [at] eqca.org



SACRAMENTO – Religious leaders from around California convened today at the State Capitol to advocate for marriage equality and for an end to religious discrimination by California State Officials. Organized by Equality California and Marriage Equality California, the state-wide civil rights advocacy and grassroots organizations for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, the day included a prayer breakfast, a Capitol press conference, and visits to legislators and state constitutional officers..

“Today, religious leaders and people of faith are speaking out in support of the loving committed relationships of same-sex couples and in support of family values for all families,” said Geoffrey Kors, Executive Director of Equality California. “It is an honor to stand with such distinguished religious leaders in support of marriage equality.” Kors continued, “Each and every religion should have the right to determine for themselves what marriages they want to solemnize and the State, in authorizing religious leaders to perform marriages, should recognize the marriages performed by religious leaders regardless of the gender of the individuals involved. When the State refuses to recognize the marriages performed by leaders of certain faiths it is doing nothing less than condoning discrimination against the couples and the religions who married them. Those who claim that marriage is religious should stand with us in support of recognizing same-sex religious marriages.”

EQCA’s Marriage License Non-Discrimination Act (AB 1967) by Assembly Member Mark Leno will be heard tomorrow, April 20th, at 8:00 am in the Assembly Judiciary Committee where a close vote on this landmark legislation is expected. Five of the ten committee members (there is presently one vacancy in the eleven member committee) are co-authors; two additional members (Corbett and Jackson) have 100% voter records from Equality California on LGBT issues but have not yet taken a position on the bill.

Equality California is also sponsoring two bill that will be heard this week in Assembly policy committees. The Insurance Equality Act (AB 2208) by Assembly Member Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) will make it clear that registered domestic partners should be treated equally to married couples under the law. Also, the Labor and Employment Omnibus Act (AB 2900) by Assembly Member John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) will standardize labor and employment non-discrimination provisions to make them consistent with the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).

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Founded in 1998, Equality California is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure the dignity, safety, equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. Equality California is one of the largest and fastest growing statewide LGBT organizations in the country. We can be contacted through our website at http://www.eqca.org.



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