The Human Rights Campaign reports that a California court has ruled against marriage equality. The court ruled that California’s ban on gay marriage does not violate the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians. The case began in 2004 when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom began allowing marriage licenses to be issued to same-sex couples. KCBS News in San Francisco reports that city officials plan to continue the battle. According to KCBS:
KCBS reporter Tim Ryan spoke with City Attorney Dennis Herrera who said an appeal is going to be made to the State Supreme Court. Herrera said if the High Court upholds the ban it would be “one of California’s darkest hours for civil rights.”
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said simply the court “got it wrong. (The ruling ) is on the wrong side of history and it’s offensive to me.”
So the battle continues.
In a related story, in New York, the frontrunner in the governor’s race has declared his support for full marriage equality for GLBT people. State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer has vowed to push to legalize gay marriage if elected. New York passed a Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) in 2003.