Same-Sex Marriage in CA [update]

Here's an update on the recent overturn of the past ban on same-sex marriage in California.

In a recent article, CNN is reporting that, according to state officials, same-sex couples may be able to obtain marriage licenses as early as June 17th. And according to The New York Times,

Gov. David A. Paterson has directed all state agencies to begin to revise their policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, like Massachusetts, California and Canada.

According to the article this would make New York the first state to not personally allow same-sex marriage, but still fully recognize same-sex unions performed elsewhere. Opponents of the decision have iterated their dislike for the decision,

“It’s a perfect example of a governor overstepping his authority and sidestepping the democratic process,” said Brian Raum, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a national organization opposed to same-sex marriage. “It’s an issue of public policy that should be decided by the voters.”

This idea of leaving decisions such as this up to the voters is something we keep hearing in the California debate, as the California Supreme Court essentially went against what the citizens voted for.

A recent LA Times poll showed that

"Fifty-four percent of registered voters would back the measure, according to the survey by The Los Angeles Times and KTLA-TV. Thirty-five percent oppose the proposed measure, which is expected to be on the November ballot."

Click here to see the full results of the poll, as released by the LA Times. There is also a New York Times article that has a lot of interesting statistics, but they all come to the same conclusion, that the ballot initiative to override the California Supreme Courts decision would pass. Essentially that same-sex marriage would once again be banned. A dark day in California history if you ask me, let's hope their statistics are wrong.