Statement of Senator Thomas K. Duane on the California Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Proposition 8

For Immediate Release:

May 27, 2009

Statement of Senator Thomas K. Duane on the California Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Proposition 8

“Today's 6-1 decision by the California Supreme Court to uphold Proposition 8 is an outrage.  To allow discrimination under a state's constitution is morally wrong.  The Court's recognition of pre-Proposition 8 marriages proves just how arbitrary courts and lawmakers can be in deciding who has the right to be married.”

“I sympathize with the thousands of same-sex couples in California who have been told by their high court, the very same court that previously granted them the right to marriage, that their love and commitment will not be recognized.  I understand their pain because the New York Court of Appeals also issued a dubious and shameful opinion denying same-sex civil marriage in New York State.”

“Yet, civil rights will and must move forward.  Bigotry deserves no sanction and today's decision will only highlight the injustice imposed upon same-sex couples.”

“I am confident that in the immediate future the New York State Senate will pass same-sex civil marriage and remove the question of inequality once and for all in New York State.”

--State Senator Thomas K. Duane (D WFP, Manhattan)

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