A federal appeals court declared California’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional today, saying a state can’t revoke gay rights solely because a majority of its voters disapprove of homosexuality.
In a 2-1 ruling, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Proposition 8’s limitations on access to marriage took rights away from a vulnerable minority without benefiting parents, children or the marital institution.
“Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples,” said Judge Stephen Reinhardt in the majority opinion.
“The Constitution simply does not allow for laws of this sort.”
The ban remains in effect while the case proceeds toward the U.S. Supreme Court. [SFGate]
Photo: Prop 8 remains unconstitutional! Molly reads out the decision. Courtesy Jeff Tabaco/Thom Watson
