The Christian Right Picks California for Culture War Election Showdown

[marmar]

via AlterNet:



The Christian Right Picks California for Culture War Election Showdown

By Sandhya Bathija, Church and State. Posted September 17, 2008.

Religious Right groups see California's marriage referendum this November as Ground Zero.




Robin Tyler and Diane Olson spent every Valentine's Day since 2001 at a courthouse in Beverly Hills seeking a marriage license in recognition of their years of commitment to each other.

Every year, they were turned down by the same clerk, until finally, on June 16, the state official handed them a California marriage license, which now reads "spouse and spouse" instead of "husband and wife."

Their wedding ceremony, which was performed by a rabbi outside that same courthouse, included 65 invitees, as well as more than 100 reporters and photographers from all over the world who wanted to document the historic moment.

Tyler and Olson became the first lesbian or gay couple to marry, after spending more than 15 years pioneering the fight for marriage equality. The two were plaintiffs in the California Supreme Court case, Tyler v. County of L.A., which was just decided in mid-May. For the first time, a court extended the institution of marriage to lesbian and gay couples.

"It is marriage equality," Tyler said. "They didn't invent a new certificate of marriage. They extended the current definition of marriage to include us."

Tyler and Olson finally had their wedding day. Their union drew worldwide media coverage, but the day wasn't free from the hostility of Religious Right demonstrators.

"They were yelling that we were going to hell," Tyler said "At a Jewish wedding! They think they have a cornerstone on what is moral. They are not our definition of morality."

Those demonstrators were an early skirmish in a new war Tyler and Olson now have to fight in California. The couple has won their fundamental right to marry from the highest court in the state, yet they will have to battle to keep it, thanks to Religious Right groups pushing Proposition 8, an initiative that will appear on California's November ballot.

Proposition 8 would amend California's constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage by defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. If passed, the amendment would alter the state's constitution so the recent California Supreme Court decision would no longer be applicable. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/99062/the_christian_right_picks_california_for_culture_war_election_showdown/

[succubus.blues]

1. I'm in cali

and we know they are doing this. The majority right now are against it, thank god.

http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/08/california_poll_1.html