A three-judge
panel of the California court of appeal ruled Thursday that
the state may continue to bar same-sex couples from
marriage. Several gay advocacy groups working on the
case immediately vowed to appeal the 2-1
decision to the California supreme court.
"Today's decision
was disappointing," Shannon Minter, legal director of
the National Center for Lesbian Rights, who argued before
the court, said in a statement. "We are optimistic
that the California supreme court will affirm the
trial court's historic ruling and strike down one of
the last remaining laws to discriminate against an entire
group of people in this state."
In April 2005,
San Francisco superior court judge Richard A. Kramer ruled
that barring same-sex couples from marriage
unconstitutionally discriminates on the basis of
gender and violates the fundamental right to marry. In
a strong dissent to Thursday's ruling, appeals court justice
Anthony Kline wrote: "The inescapable effect of the analysis
the majority adopts is to diminish the humanity of the
lesbians and gay men whose rights are defeated. The
right to marry is of fundamental importance for all
individuals."
"We know that
history is on our side," said Jeanne Rizzo and Pali
Cooper, two of the plaintiffs in Woo v.
California and a couple of 16 years, in a statement
to the press. "We are disappointed by the court's
ruling, but we have faith that the law will not
continue to treat us as outsiders. We simply want the
same legal protections as other Californians."
More than 250
religious and civil rights organizations, including the
California NAACP, Mexican American Legal Defense and
Educational Fund, California Council of Churches,
Asian Pacific American Legal Center, and National
Black Justice Coalition, filed amicus briefs supporting
marriage equality for same-sex couples. (The
Advocate)
