Bitter news from California on Prop 8, but the fight is far from over

Same-Sex Couples’ Constitutional Right to Marriage Denied

‘Today’s decision by the California Supreme Court to uphold Prop 8 is a devastating setback, but I believe it will be another galvanizing moment in the struggle for equal marriage,’ said NOW President Kim Gandy. ‘We commend the court for allowing to stand the 18,000 same-sex marriages that took place under the court’s earlier decision.’

‘NOW members will be out in force at protests in California and across the country Tuesday and in coming days. And we will continue working to right this wrong,’ said Gandy.

The National Organization for Women, California NOW and the Feminist Majority had submitted a joint amicus curiae brief to the court in support of the plaintiffs’ challenge to the validity of the Proposition 8 ballot measure, which passed at the polls last November by a slim margin.

Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

“This is a day of immensely conflicted feelings. We are profoundly disappointed the court has upheld Proposition 8. 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. 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.

“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.”

Statement by Joe Solmonese, President, Human Rights Campaign:

While we take some solace that the loving couples who did marry in California will stay married, an estimated one million more individuals have been denied that dignity and right.

We are heartbroken. But we won’t back down.

We will work relentlessly, organizing communities of faith and other allies across the state, until Prop. 8 is repealed. It will take major resources to win – but the momentum of history is on our side.

HRC members from around the country have sent in beautiful images and messages of support in recent weeks. We’d like to share those with you now in a new video that expresses both our profound hurt and our fierce resolve to fight for equality. Watch the video. Look into the eyes of the people, LGBT and straight, who stand in solidarity today. And join the effort we must begin.

Pride At Work :

Pride At Work chapters and activists will continue engaging the labor community to get involved, speak out, dedicate resources, and engage rank and file union members in this important struggle.

Our chapters and activists in California lead the way in making the labor movement a powerful ally in this struggle for equality. To get involved with a Pride At Work chapter in your community or to start a Pride At Work chapter, please visit the Pride At Work website at .

While the California Supreme Court’s ruling today is disappointing, it is by no means the end of the story. Pride At Work continues to push forward for full ‘basic civil rights’ for all in our community.

We’ll continue to speak out about the inequities of our two-tier marriage system, ending pervasive job discrimination against LGBT individuals, bringing transgender individuals full healthcare equality, and advocating for comprehensive immigration reform that includes all families, among other things.

We will stand together, in solidarity, unafraid, and continue to loudly speak our truth.

Protests and actions in response to today’s decision are taking place around the country. To find a protest in your community, please visit: .

GLAAD expresa su más sincera desilusión sobre la decisión emitida para mantener en efecto la Proposición 8

Neil G. Giuliano, Presidente de La Alianza Gay y Lésbica Contra la Difamación (GLAAD), expresó su profunda desilusión sobre la decisión emitida por la Corte Suprema de California para mantener en efecto la Proposición 8 – una enmienda anti-gay que elimina la posibilidad de que las personas del mismo sexo se casen por el civil en California.

“En este día, expresamos nuestra profunda desilusión con la decisión emitida por la Corte Suprema de California, que continúa negándole a un grupo el derecho fundamental al matrimonio civil en California”, dijo Neil G. Giuliano.

“Afortunadamente, la corte decidió en proteger los matrimonios de más de 18,000 parejas que se casaron antes del 5 de noviembre. Es vital que los medios de comunicación compartan las historias de estas parejas y también de aquellas parejas y personas gay en California que de nuevo se les ha negado el derecho fundamental al matrimonio civil”.

”Es injusto bloquear las protecciones legales de parejas que necesitan estas protecciones para cuidar de la persona que aman y de sus familias. Estamos agradecidos con el Centro Nacional de Derecho para Lesbianas, la ciudad de San Francisco y los de más defensores y parejas demandantes por su abogacía y compromiso a la igualdad y oportunidad para todos los californianos”.

See the recent People’s Weekly World editorial “The year we came to our senses”