GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER TO VETO EQUAL MARRIAGE RIGHTS LEGISLATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 7, 2005

Contact: Eddie Gutiérrez, Director of Communications
Phone: (323) 217-8875 Email: eddie [at] eqca.org

GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER TO VETO EQUAL MARRIAGE RIGHTS LEGISLATION

Sacramento, CA — In response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s decision to veto Assembly Bill (AB) 849, The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, Executive Director Geoffrey Kors of Equality California issues the following statement:

“Not even twenty-four hours after our historic victory when our families went to sleep dreaming of equality, we are extremely heart-broken and disappointed that the Governor has chosen not to lift the burden of discrimination for hundreds of thousands of loving and committed families. The Governor has let us down, but nothing can take away our victory and the progress we have made to achieve equality for all.

“One man cannot terminate a civil rights movement. Minority rights should never be dictated by the majority. Hard working, Californians believe in freedom, justice, and equality. The Governor has failed our families and the children who will sleep tonight wondering if, tomorrow, their parents will be legal strangers under the law.

“The marriage equality bill has yet to reach the Governor’s desk. We urge him to reconsider his decision. He has yet to hear how our families have been harmed by discrimination. When he goes home tonight and enjoys the comforts and protections of marriage, we hope he thinks of the children and families whose fate rests in his hands.

“If the Governor truly opposes discrimination, he will come out in strong opposition to any ballot measure, court decision, or legislation that repeals legally recognized protections and responsibilities that are currently afforded through domestic partnerships or permanently bans marriage protections for same-sex couples. He has to make a decision on what he wants his legacy to be; we hope that he will not go down in history as ‘The Discriminator.’”

Founded in 1998, Equality California is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure the dignity, safety, equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. Equality California is one of the largest and fastest growing statewide LGBT organizations in the country. We can be contacted through our website at http://www.eqca.org.

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