Same-sex marriages can start June 17

Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Click here for the on-line San Francisco Chronicle article

California counties can begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on June 17, the state's Office of Vital Records determined today. That is a day later than many county officials had assumed and some same-sex couples had booked time slots for weddings on June 16.

The decision to issue licenses starting June 17 allows the state Supreme Court the maximum time to consider any challenge to its ruling before it takes effect, according to a letter sent today to county clerks by the Office of Vital Records.

County clerks can begin issuing marriage licenses that day, "assuming no legal developments to the contrary," according to the state letter.

Opponents of same-sex marriage have asked the court to delay implementing its decision until after the November election, when the state's voters are likely to decide whether to amend the California Constitution to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples. A Field Poll released today, however, showed most voters do not support such a measure.

The Office of Vital Records also determined today how the new forms for marriage licenses will refer to those who are marrying. Instead of gender-specific designations, the forms refer to applicants as "Party A" and "Party B."

California Majority Backs Gay Marriage

Click here for the on-line San Francisco Chronicle article

Field Poll director calls results a milestone
John Wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer

In a dramatic reversal of decades of public opinion, California voters agree by a slim majority that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, according to a Field Poll released today.

By 51-42 percent, registered voters said they believed same-sex marriage should be legal in California. Only 28 percent favored gay marriage in 1977, when the Field Poll first asked that question, said Mark DiCamillo,the poll's director.

"This is a milestone in California," he said. "You can't downplay the importance of a change in an issue we've been tracking for 30 years."

While opposition to same-sex marriage has been weakening for years in California, supporters have remained a minority. In March 2000, for example, voters overwhelmingly backed Proposition 22, a statute that said the state would recognize only the marriage of a man and a woman. A 2006 Field Poll showed that half the state's voters still disapproved of same-sex marriage.

But the state Supreme Court's decision this month to overturn Prop. 22 might have turned the tide, DiCamillo said.

"There's a certain validation when the state Supreme Court makes a ruling that you can't discriminate when it comes to marriage," he said. "That may have been enough to move some people who were on the fence about same-sex marriage."

Younger voters and those living in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and other Democratic urban strongholds were the most supportive of same-sex marriage, the poll found, while older voters and those living in the more conservative inland areas were more opposed.

The poll also provided a boost for groups planning to battle a measure to ban same-sex marriage that is expected to go on the ballot in November as a constitutional amendment. By 51-43 percent, registered voters oppose changing the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, according to the poll.

Results differ from other poll

A statewide Los Angeles Times/KTLA Poll released last week showed different results: 54 percent of registered voters said they would support the initiative that would change the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

"When we get results that we think are surprising, we double- and triple-check our numbers, and that's what we did here," said DiCamillo. "Everything in this poll is consistent internally."

It's not unusual for two polls to have conflicting numbers, said Steve Kinney, a veteran GOP pollster.

"It's all in the methodology, who you actually talked to and whether they accurately represented that state as a whole," he said. "But even if you have confidence in your numbers, you're always scared if you come up with something totally different. Are you wrong, or is the other guy?"

Support for same-sex marriage has been growing steadily in California, and the youngest voters are pushing the hardest. Among voters 18 to 29 years old, 68 percent back gay marriage, compared with only 36 percent of those 65 and older, the Field Poll found.

It's a "generational replacement, with older folks being replaced by younger voters very much in favor of same-sex marriage," DiCamillo said. Those younger voters "have grown up with people who are out in their lives, whether it's politicians in the news or people they know," said Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, one of the groups opposed to the proposed initiative to ban same-sex marriage.

But the dramatic movement on the issue over the past few years hasn't been by accident, Kors said. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's dramatic - and later overturned - decision to issue marriage licenses to gay couples in 2004, the Legislature's passage of two bills to authorize same-sex marriage and other efforts have helped educate people about the issue and bring same-sex marriage into the California mainstream, he said.

"Legislators voted for same-sex marriage, and none of them were voted out of office," Kors said. "This (poll result) is what we'd expect, but it's also the first time we've seen a majority for same-sex marriage, and the Field Poll is as credible as it comes."

Supporters of the new initiative shrugged off the poll results, saying that it is a long time until the November election.

"The Supreme Court ruling only just happened," said Karen England, spokeswoman for the Capitol Resource Institute, one of the groups backing a ban on same-sex marriage, which is expected to be approved for the ballot in mid-June. "Once we have the measure on the ballot, the campaign can change everything."

England said plenty of voters calling her group are outraged that the Supreme Court overturned Prop. 22 after it passed with 61 percent of the vote. She also questioned the accuracy of pre-election polls, noting that support for Prop. 22 on election day was much stronger than was shown in polls taken days before the vote.

"People might say one thing to a pollster, but they make their own decision in the voting booth," she said.

How state splits on issue

The new Field Poll highlights the battleground for the fall campaign, showing the state splitting dramatically along regional, ideological and religious grounds.

The heavily Democratic urban areas strongly support same-sex marriage; 55 percent of Los Angeles County and an overwhelming 68 percent of the Bay Area are in favor. By contrast, only 38 percent of the Central Valley and 41 percent of Southern California outside of Los Angeles are in favor.

Same-sex marriage also digs a chasm between California's heavily populated coast and its inland areas; 55 percent of coastal voters back same-sex marriage compared with 40 percent in support inland.

The issue divides along liberal-conservative lines; 85 percent of strong liberals are in favor, and 85 percent of strong conservatives are opposed. Protestants, who make up a third of the state's voters, oppose same-sex marriage 34 percent to 57 percent, while Catholics are split almost equally, 45 percent in favor to 48 percent opposed. Those with no religious preference back same-sex marriage 81 percent to 12 percent.

America will be watching the fall campaign over same-sex marriage, which will have national implications, said Kors of Equality California.

"It's going to be an intense and enormous undertaking, but we're confident we'll win," he said. "But we also know that the other side is out there working just as hard and feeling just as confident."

The poll is based on a telephone survey of 1,052 registered voters taken May 17-26. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Status report

• The law: The state Supreme Court this month overturned a ban on same-sex marriage approved by voters in 2000.
• Weddings: Counties are preparing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples when the ruling takes effect in mid-June.
• New initiative: A constitutional amendment declaring that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid" is likely to qualify for the November ballot.
  
  

Tell the Governor you support the Court's decision

The governor gets a lot of calls from right wing folks voicing objections to the recent Calif. Supreme Court decision. If you are in favor of the recent decision, follow these easy and fast instructions. It takes 15 seconds to do it! The numbers below are the responses to the Governor's telephone tree that take you to the final "1" which is a vote supporting the Court's decision.

To vote in support of the Supreme Court's decision on LGBT marriage:
* Call 1-916-445-2841
* Press 1 for English
* Press 5 for hot issue
* Press 0 to speak with a Governor representative

Al Gore Supports the Freedom to Marry

Visit this link at the Marriage Equality USA website to hear Al Gore in support of Gay Marriage:
http://www.marriageequality.org/meusa/news6.shtml

Getting Married in California - Fact Sheet

Click here to download the Getting Married in California -- Fact Sheet (pdf) NCLR put together.

When Can We Get Married?

Spectrum LGBT Center is working with the Marin County Clerk's office and local faith groups, encouraging them to be ready for requests from same-sex couples for marriage licenses and wedding ceremonies. The anticipated date marriages will begin is June 16th. If you are having difficulty obtaining a marriage license or are denied a request to schedule a wedding ceremony, please let us know. It's important that education about the new law continues.
For additional information and resources:

• Equality California
• Marriage Equality USA
• NCLR

News articles:

• County Clerks, Same-Sex Couples Try to Plan
• Governor backs same-sex marriage ruling
• Ellen to Marry Portia de Rossi after California approves gay marriage
• Celebrating four years of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts
• Same-sex unions made now likely to stay valid

VISTORY! Gay and Lesbian Couples Can Marry, says State Supreme Court

For more news, visit:

• Equality California
• Marriage Equality USA
• NCLR

This victory changes our lives forever.But the conversation isn't over.Our opponents are going to do their best to thwart this decision. Stay involved with these actions!

1. Hear the Response. Visit one of the websites listed above for a response from LGBT leaders across the state and the most up-to-date analysis of what the Court's ruling means for our community — beyond the headlines.

2. Join the Conversation Right Away. Whether you get your news at NYTimes.com, Advocate.com or your local newspaper's Web site, take a moment right now to post thoughtful comments at the bottom of Internet news stories about the ruling.

3. Don't Forget Your Letter to the Editor. Even if your letter isn't published, editors make their selections based on the views of the letters they receive — so the more they hear from our community, the better.

Countdown to CA Supreme Court Decision on Same-Sex Marriage

The California Supreme Court will hand down its decision in re: Marriage Cases TOMORROW, May 15, 2008.

The day we've all been waiting for. In 2004, 4,161 same-sex couples were married in San Francisco over the course of 29 days. It was a magical and moving moment in the history of the LGBT civil rights movement. That moment came to a screeching halt when the California State Supreme Court ruled the marriages illegal and invalid. Thus began a chain of legal proceedings that will culminate with the Court's next decision about the constitutionality of the state law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. When the decision comes, we'll be ready and we hope you'll join us.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS check the following websites:

• NCLR
• Marriage Equality USA
• Equality California

DECISION DAY RALLY IN MARIN:

5:30 PM, Third and Irwin Streets in San Rafael. Questions? Call Dolores at 415-497-6469. There will also be a gathering at City Hall in San Francisco. For up-to-date information, visit Equality California website. Gatherings will occur regardless of the decision -- and of course, we are anticipating a positive outcome.

SHARE YOUR STORY WITH THE MEDIA:

Be a part of history! If you live in Marin and have a personal story to share about your own experience with marriage equality, please call Paula Pilecki at 415-457-1115 ext. 209 A.S.A.P. We're looking for a few couples who are willing, and who will be ready, to speak to the media on decision day.