Speaker Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego
Posted on 06/05/2003 8:38:00 AM PDT by scripter
A historic bill awarding virtually all the rights of marriage to homosexual "domestic partners" narrowly passed the California state Assembly late this afternoon.
Requiring 41 votes, AB 205 passed 41-29, with 10 members not voting. Democrat supporters expressed surprise as the outcome became apparent.
Speaker Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego |
"Amazing," said Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Christine Kehoe, a lesbian and co-author of the bill.
Pro-family groups that lobbied hard against the bill charged it would subvert the will of Californians who overwhelmingly approved the Protection of Marriage Initiative in March 2000, reserving marriage rights for a man and a woman only.
"People need to rise up" in response to today's vote, said Karen England, director of policy for the Capital Resource Institute, a non-profit group in Sacramento.
"We get these notes all the time from voters, asking, 'What about the will of the people?'" England told WorldNetDaily. "We thought this issue was decided."
Democrat Mark Leno of San Francisco, who identified himself as one of four homosexual Assembly members, argued during the floor debate that while voters passed the marriage initiative, opinion polls showed a majority of Californians favor equal rights for long-term domestic partners.
England discounted the significance of the polls.
"The only poll I count is the one at the ballot box," she said. "And [the people] were clear on that poll."
 Mark Leno, D-San Francisco |
In his remarks from the floor, Leno insisted the bill is a civil-rights issue with personal implications.
"The four of us, unlike anyone else in this chamber, are second-class citizens," he said. "Our most cherished and honored relationships are not respected in the law."
The bill now goes to the state's Democrat-controlled Senate, where England expects it to pass. The spotlight then would be on Gov. Gray Davis, who is facing a strong recall campaign.
"This battle could and should have been won," said Randy Thomasson, executive director of Campaign for California Families, in a statement after today's vote. "Although we fought hard on the outside, the inside game at the state capitol faltered and protecting marriage was not the priority that it should have been."
Beyond California
Homosexual activist groups have said the bill's impact would resonate beyond California.
"This law would be truly historic for the nation," said Geoff Kors, executive director of California Alliance for Pride and Equality, according to the San Jose Mercury News. "If California passes this, it sends a message to the rest of the nation."
While there is no legal basis for same-sex marriage in the U.S., the idea is gaining traction culturally. Last week, CBS television promoted the debut of "The Amazing Race 4" by proclaiming a male homosexual couple on the show to be married to each other.
The closest the U.S. has come to same-sex marriage is Vermont's civil-union law, a legal registration providing the same benefits and rights as married couples. The Netherlands and Belgium are the only countries that treat a same-sex couple's relationship exactly as one between a man and a woman.
AB 205, unlike civil unions, would not require a marriage-like ceremony in court, and the relationship could be ended without the same court process as divorce. Instead, it would expand the state's existing domestic partnership program, which offers limited legal rights to more than 18,000 couples registered with the secretary of state.
Thirty-seven states have passed laws that bar them from honoring same-sex marriage from another jurisdiction. However, in Massachusetts and New Jersey homosexual couples have filed lawsuits, and some analysts believe if a marriage license were issued in one of those states, it would have to be recognized in all others under the U.S. Constitution's "Full Faith and Credit Clause."
Canada appears to be headed toward instituting homosexual marriage after a law defining marriage as a male-female bond was struck down as discriminatory by three provincial court decisions.
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I hope you are wrong. I know I care, as do those on my ping list.
It wouldn't be the first time California ignored the will of the people... Prop 209 comes to mind...
I am against it, but what are you gonna do, you can't stop it in California, too many liberals...
Besides, when it hits Virginia, that's when I will get most active opposing it.
You hit the nail on the head. I really encourage you to read this link:
The Homosexual Propaganda and Media Manipulation GameI have the book in case anybody wants clarification or context on any of the summaries.
Then why did you even bother with this thread?
The Illinois State House passed ERA Amendment, and it is will be voted upon in the Illinois State Senate after summer recess.
If you are not familiar with ERA, this is NOT about equal rights for women or minorities. The ERA Amendment states: Section 1: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex. Section 2: Congress shall have the power to enforce by appropriate legislation the provisions of the aritcle. Section 3: This Amendment shall take affect two years after the date of ratification.
Proponents of the ERA believe that they can begin again where they left off with the ratification process. 35 states have already ratified the ERA...Illinois would make 36. 37 states are needed to pass a constitutional amendment.
The word must get out about this before the Illinois Senate passes ERA. This Amendment would jeopardize the true equal protection of the existing 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
This state? There is a push for special gay rights all over the country. Every Christian should weigh in on this.
What's sad is I've talked to professing Christians who don't see anything wrong with gays adopting or homosexual marriage. When I point them to the Bible and what God says, they kinda shake their head, shrug their shoulders and ignore it. But you're right, many Bible believing, church going Christians do not approve, and rightly so.
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