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(Sacramento, California) California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday night that he will veto legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry.
The announcement, made through his press secretary, Margita Thompson, said that the bill is in conflict with Proposition 22 a ballot initiative passed in 2000 to prevent California from recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.
"We cannot have a system where the people vote and the Legislature derails that vote," Thompson, said. "Out of respect for the will of the people, the governor will veto (the bill)."
The gay marriage bill was passed in the Assembly Tuesday night by one vote.
The Senate passed the bill on a 21 to 15 vote last Thursday.
The Governor's veto announcement came as a shock to Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) the author of the bill.
"If this is true it would be very disrespectful to the many millions of Californians who support this bill to make a decision without even allowing the proponents to make a case for his signature, Leno said Wednesday night.
The Governor's statement was released as the state's largest LGBT rights group, Equality California was urging its supporters to email or call Schwarzenegger's office to voice their support for the legislation.
Equality California executive director Geoffrey Korrs accused the governor of selling out gays. "Clearly he's pandering to an extreme right wing, Korrs said.
In a late night meeting with Schwarzenegger's senior staff Korrs demanded that the governor meet with gay and lesbian families before vetoing the bill.
“One man cannot terminate a civil rights movement," Korrs said following the meeting. "Minority rights should never be dictated by the majority. Hard working, Californians believe in freedom, justice, and equality. The Governor has failed our families and the children who will sleep tonight wondering if, tomorrow, their parents will be legal strangers under the law.
In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom who allowed same-sex couples to get marriage licenses until the state Supreme Court ordered him to cease, blamed the veto on pressure on the Governor from conservatives and religious groups.
"I kind of long for the days when the governor was campaigning.. and said, I'm a different kind of politician.. I'm not going to play politics.. do what's right. I remember those days.. I just haven't seen that demonstrated," Newsom told KRON television.
"I'm pretty animated," the mayor said, "because I'm fed up with the hypocrisy but boy am I proud of Mark Leno, what an incredible success story."
Both gay Democrats and Republicans attacked Schwarzenegger's decision.
"Instead of granting the most basic of protections to thousands of California
families, Governor Schwarzenegger has chosen to protect the anti-gay special
interests that control the Republican Party," said John Marble, a spokesperson
for the National Stonewall Democrats. "This legislation was passed with
the support of the California Democratic Party, a Democratic Assembly, a Democratic
Senate and a Democratic Governor would have signed this bill into law."
Gay Republicans were only slightly less partisan.
“This act is in stark contrast to the Governor’s record of support for the LGBT community, which includes signing five pieces of pro-gay, pro-family bills in his short time in office,” said Patrick Guerriero, President of Log Cabin Republicans.
“Log Cabin Republicans take the Governor at his word, that if, and when, the courts of California join the legislature in recognizing the right to civil marriage equality, he will uphold and support that decision,” Guerriero said.
Republicans who voted in a block against the legislation were delighted with Schwarzenegger's announcement.
"This single action goes further to ensure his re-election in 2006 than just about anything he can be doing right now," said Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (D-Irvine).
In announcing he would veto the bill the statement that Schwarzenegger "believes gay couples are entitled to full protection under the law and should not be discriminated against based upon their relationship."
"He is proud that California provides the most rigorous protections in the nation for domestic partners," the statement from Thompson said.
The issue of same-sex marriage is slowly heading toward the California Supreme Court. In March a San San Francisco judge ruled that state laws preventing gay marriage are illegal. The case is currently under appeal.
Meanwhile, a conservative group called the "Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Initiative" has begun collecting signatures to have a proposed amendment to the California Constitution banning same-sex marriage placed on the 2006 ballot. If approved by voters it would not only bar gays and lesbians from marrying but also void the state's landmark domestic partner law.
“If the Governor truly opposes discrimination, he will come out in strong opposition to any ballot measure, court decision, or legislation that repeals legally recognized protections and responsibilities that are currently afforded through domestic partnerships or permanently bans marriage protections for same-sex couples," said Korrs. "He has to make a decision on what he wants his legacy to be; we hope that he will not go down in history as ‘The Discriminator.’”
A new poll, released on the weekend, shows that California voters are equally divided on the issue of same-sex marriage. The Public Policy Institute poll shows that 46 percent are in favor of allowing same-sex couples to marry and 46 percent are opposed.
The result is a slight increase in the number supporting gay marriage over the last poll on the issue, but has given Equality California reason to believe that if the proposed amendment makes it to voters a majority would reject it.
Earlier today the governor vetoed a bill that would have banned the use of any negative appeal based on prejudice against gay and lesbian people by candidates or campaign committees.
©365Gay.com 2005
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