Last week's newswires delivered conflicting stories about the future of marriage in California. The state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between "a man and a woman" qualified for the November ballot, in a clear statement on voters' family values. Yet on Wednesday, the state Supreme Court refused to stay its ruling that legalizes homosexual marriage until the election passes. Its refusal may create trouble for newlywed homosexuals.
Over 1.1 million Californians signed petitions to qualify the marriage amendment for the state ballot, considerably more than the 694,354 signatures needed. Their victory underscores that voters hold family values and want marriage defined in the traditional way.
This November, they can pass the California Marriage Protection Act by marking "yes" on Initiative 1298.
If passed, the amendment would overrule the Supreme Court's ruling on homosexual marriage. Conservative groups asked the Court to stay its ruling until after November, but it refused.
This means homosexuals can begin marrying on June 17, despite the expectation that Initiative 1298 will reaffirm one man, one woman marriage. Karen England, Executive Director of Capitol Resource Institute, called this "an example of the Supreme Court being out of touch."
California Attorney General Jerry Brown told the New York Times that a stay is unnecessary. "Same-sex marriage is a deeply contentious issue," he said, "but in California the matter has now been resolved by the state Supreme Court." The issue is not resolved: the people have yet to vote. Homosexuals may wed in June, but they risk holding invalid licenses in November.
The new license forms can be viewed by copying and pasting the following link information into your browser:
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/news/Documents/Sample%20V116%20(6-08).pdf
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