SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - - California will hold its first
gay marriages starting on June 17, state authorities told its
public officials Wednesday, two weeks after the state Supreme Court
quashed a ban on gay marriage in a historic ruling.
In an opinion that could have nationwide implications, the
California Supreme Court on May 15 voted 4-3 in favor of plaintiffs
who argued that restricting marriage to men and women was
discriminatory.
The ruling added that all California couples had a "basic civil
right" to marry "without regard to their sexual orientation."
California is now only the second US state after Massachusetts
to legalize unions between homosexuals.
Supreme Court rulings go into effect 30 days after publication,
but state authorities set June 17 as the date for the first
marriages to be officiated, since the ruling can be appealed up to
June 16.
The ruling on gay marriage followed a long-running legal battle
that erupted in 2000 when California voters approved a law
declaring that only marriages between men and women could be
legally recognized.
In February 2004, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom defied state
law by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, arguing that
existing laws were illegal because they violated equal rights
legislation.
A court later halted the issuance of licenses and declared that
same-sex marriages that took place during this period were void,
but civil rights activists argued that limiting marriage to
opposite-sex couples was unconstitutional.
In 2005 the San Francisco Superior Court ruled in favor of the
plaintiffs, finding that there was no justification for refusing to
allow marriages.
But the decision was overturned in 2006 by the California Court
of Appeal, which ruled in a 2-1 decision that the state's desire to
"carry out the expressed wishes of a majority" was sufficient to
preserve the existing law.
California lawmakers have also voted in favor of gay marriage
but the bill was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who
said, however, he would respect the Supreme Court's decision.
A coalition of religious and social conservative groups have
vowed to add a vote calling for a ban on same-sex marriage when
California goes to the polls in November's election.
State election officials will rule next month on whether
sponsors of the vote have gathered enough signatures to force the
issue onto the ballot. Schwarzenegger has said he would not support
the measure.
Wednesday's ruling coincided with a Field opinion survey that
found Californians in favor of gay marriage outnumbering those
against by a 52-41 percent margin, in stark contrast with the 59-28
percent advantage gay marriage opposers had in the first survey the
group took on the issue in 1977.