Gay marriage in California

AOG, Madrid

Ever since I was a small child, whenever I tried to conjure up a truly modern place, I often thought of Japan. And if I tried to conjure up a truly modern place which was like paradise, I would often think of California- and Trantor, but that is because of my love for Science Fiction and my slant towards Asimov.

Today, California has stood me in good stead. It has just become the second state to approve gay marriage. Its Supreme Court has overturned two state laws that had limited marriages to unions between a man and a woman, and instead ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

It cites: "An individual's sexual orientation — like a person's race or gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights."

The New York Times carries the story like this on this article.

The Los Angeles Times covers the story like this on this article.

USA today covers the story like this on this article.

And The Washington Times does it like this on this article.

The only other state thus far to carry similar legislation is Massachusetts.

Surprisingly perhaps, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has said that he respected the court’s ruling and did not support a constitutional amendment to overturn it.

Ever America's pioneering State, California's Supreme Court was also the first state high court to strike down a law barring interracial marriage. It happened back in 1948 with a decision called Perez v. Sharp.

The vote in Perez, like the one in Thursday’s decision, was 4-to-3. The United States Supreme Court did not follow suit until 1967.