California and Proposition 8

Although there have been several victories for supporters of gay marriage over the past several months, the gay rights movement was dealt a serious blow yesterday morning when the California Supreme Court State ruled on Proposition 8. The 6-1 decision upheld the gay-marriage ban that was narrowly approved by voters last November. Sadly, the state Supreme Court upheld the controversial decision, even as many other states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York have moved to legalize such unions. The Supreme Court’s decision effectively makes legal same-sex marriage moving forward impossible in the state of California. The court did however effectively grandfather in the roughly 18,000 gay marriages that took place between June and November, stating that those marriage would remain legal.

Although this highly politicized and publicized decision is a serious setback for those working for marriage equality, my guess is that this is just the first of many decisions that will spur even more hard work and dedication for those working in the gay-marriage movement. Let’s hope it’s only a matter of time before California reverses this decision, and joins other states in supporting gay marriage.