This morning the California Supreme Court announced a decision in favor of Proposition 8. Under the twisted web that is our state constitution, voters may "amend" the document with a simple majority, whereas a two-thirds vote of the legislature is required to "revise" the constitution. All but one justice agreed that Proposition 8 constituted an "amendment" and not a "revision."
This is a huge blow to civil rights in the state. Not only has a 50% majority succeeded in stripping a civil right from a minority group, but the State of California has officially sanctioned a conservative Christian definition of marriage. This is a clear violation of the Free Exercise and Equal Protection Clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
I think churches should be free to define marriage within their congregations however they please. There are churches where gay marriage is accepted. They have just as much right to exercise that conviction under the law. The government and the state constitution is no place for this debate.
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