November 21, 2008
Gay Marriage Foes Want Prop. 8 To Wipe Out Unions
CBS5:
Lawyers for the Yes on 8 campaign said they would argue the California Supreme Court should not only uphold the state ban on gay marriage but invalidate same-sex weddings performed before November 5. …“The biggest question mark right now is the question of what happens to the marriages that were valid when they were performed, but now the constitution says they are not recognized,” said Yes on 8 attorney Andrew Pugno.
In the meantime, those couples are still legally married.
Who says? There’s been no decision, and Jerry Brown opining that our marriages should stand doesn’t make it so.
Gay rights advocates said so far none of the couples had reported any problems having their marriages recognized.“The state is honoring those marriages,” said San Francisco attorney Shannon Minter with the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “It seems as though everyone in the whole state is respecting and honoring those marriages.” …
Not everyone. The title of this post is the verbatim headline of the news story. CBS5 obviously doesn’t consider our marriages marriages anymore; it’s already reduced them to “unions.”
In any case, mark my words: If Proposition 8 stands, the bigots will not only mount a campaign to invalidate existing marriages — they will go after eliminating domestic partnerships next.
Paranoid much? Nope. Don’t forget: Pete Knight, author of Proposition 22 (the “Knight Initiative”) sued the state of California to stop the establishment of domestic partnerships on the grounds that DPs violated Prop 22. He lost, of course, but he tried — and today’s Bigot Brigade, bigger, stronger, better-funded, more ruthless, and more hateful than ever, will try, too.
Take nothing for granted, and believe the worst about the bigots; they haven’t yet failed to live down to — nay, exceed — our worst expectations.
Nobody thought enough Californians were so stupid and mean-spirited to vote for Prop 8, either.
But they did.
Take nothing for granted. Nothing.
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Filed Under: California, Civil Rights, Homophobia, Marriage, Proposition 8, Radical Religious Right
