LGBT Orgs Warn Lawsuits Could Set Back Progress on Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
In response to the California Supreme Court decision allowing Prop 8 to stand, four LGBT legal organizations and five other leading national LGBT groups are reminding the LGBT community that ill-timed lawsuits could set the fight for marriage back. The groups released a new publication, “Why the ballot box and not the courts should be the next step on marriage in California.” This publication discourages people from bringing premature lawsuits based on the federal Constitution because, without more groundwork, the U.S. Supreme Court likely is not yet ready to rule that same-sex couples cannot be barred from marriage. The groups also revised “Make Change, Not Lawsuits,” which was released after the California Supreme Court decision ending the ban on marriage for same-sex couples in California. This publication encourages couples who have legally married to ask friends, neighbors and institutions to honor their marriages, but discourages people from bringing lawsuits.
“Why the ballot box and not the courts should be the next step on marriage in California” is available here.
“Make Change, Not Lawsuits” is available here.
May 26, 2009: California Supreme Court Upholds Prop 8
The California Supreme Court issued a decision today upholding Proposition 8, the ballot initiative passed by voters last November banning marriage for same-sex couples. The Court also said today that the marriages of the 18,000 same-sex couples who wed before the ban went into effect remain valid.
San Francisco Chronicle: California High Court Upholds Gay Marriage Ban