Pacific Views

California's senate okays same-sex marriage bill.

By a 21-15 vote, California's state senate has passed a bill that would make same-sex marriages legal. This is the first time that any body of a state legislature has voted to approve such marriages without a court ruling forcing them to do so. The bill now goes to the state assembly, where its future is uncertain — the assembly rejected the bill on an earlier vote during the current legislative session.

State Sen. Carole Migden,, D-San Francisco, right, one of the Legislature's six gay members, hugs Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Sunol, after she spoke in support of a same-sex marriage bill during the Senate session on Thursday. [Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli]

Several lawmakers said they believed their vote on the bill would be one of the most important they cast as lawmakers.

"When I leave this legislature, I want to tell my grandchildren that I stood up for dignity and the rights of all," said Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont.

Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, said members should listen to a higher power when deciding how to vote.

"I don’t think there is a member in this chamber who doesn’t somewhere — either readily on the surface or somewhere deep down inside — know that this is not the right thing to do," he said. "Where does that come from? It comes from a higher power."

But Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Los Angeles, said he "absolutely believes this is right."

"The last time I checked, a higher power created all of us. In the eyes of God, they are all human beings, all equal to him," he said. "Why are they not equal to us?"

Via SF Chronicle.

Posted by Magpie at September 2, 2005 12:09 AM | GLBT | Technorati links |