Prop. 8 Backers Vow to Press Fight Against Same-Sex Marriage

Supporters of voter-passed Proposition 8 in California,  which limited marriage in the state to one man and one woman, said Wednesday they will continue their legal battle.

Charles LiMandri, a Rancho Santa Fe attorney who worked on Prop. 8 in 2008, said the ruling on the initiative was only over standing, not the merits.

“If the governor orders county clerks to start issuing marriage licenses (to same-sex couples), I can guarantee there’s going to be litigation to stop that,” LiMandri said. “The will of the 7 million Californians who voted for Proposition 8 deserves to be vindicated until we have a clear and decisive ruling from the highest court.

 “The United States Supreme Court could easily have said Proposition 8 is struck down—same-sex couples can get married in California,” LiMandri said. “They didn’t do that.”

At a news conference in front of the federal courthouse in downtown San Diego, supporters of traditional marriage said they would continue the fight.   

Jennifer Roback Morse, founder of The Ruth Institute, said the rulings bring some disappointment but there is “more than a glimmer of hope” for the grassroots Californians who support the proposition.

“The ordinary people of this country, of all races, of all religions, of all political parties, support traditional marriage,” said Morse, whose organization campaigns for marriage between one man and one woman.

State Sen. Joel Anderson, an East County Republican, said in a statement: “Religious liberties have been put at further risk because the governor and the attorney general allowed their personal views to cloud their professional responsibility to defend Proposition 8 in federal court, but I will continue to defend the traditional definition of marriage—that is marriage between one man and one woman.”

Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, which supports Prop. 8, said today’s rulings were an attack on the institution of marriage.

“The high court’s refusal to correct the unconstitutional rulings of lower-court judges and the dereliction of duty by constitution-bound state officials demonstrates that not only is natural, man-woman marriage no longer respected, but neither is our republic and system of written laws,” Thomasson said.

And Dran Reese, director of the Salt and Light Council, said the high court rulings were “unfair and unjust” and “brought shame to America.”

Reese, whose Solana Beach-based group promotes biblical moral values in the public sector, said gays and lesbians want the legalization of same-sex marriage to justify “ungodly behavior.”

But supporters of same-sex marriage hailed the 5-4 verdicts by the Supreme Court.

“Today’s rulings are a legal home run for civil rights,” said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who is married to another woman. “The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized the promise of equality that is a fundamental part of our Constitution and as a result, same-sex couples will no longer be treated as second-class citizens at the federal level and in California.”

Dumanis said it was especially gratifying to know that same-sex couples will be eligible for federal benefits because of the DOMA ruling.

Delores Jacobs, chief executive officer of The LGBT Community Center in Hillcrest, said the rulings were “civil rights decisions for the history books.”

“This is nothing short of monumental,” Jacobs said. “For Californians, the decision on Proposition 8 will close the door on an ugly chapter in our state’s history, where for the first—and hopefully only—time we allowed our state Constitution to be cheapened and soiled by writing into it discrimination against a particular group of Californians.”

Democratic Rep. Scott Peters of the 52nd Congressional District said: “It is a significant day for the American ideals of equality and fairness. I am proud to stand with the LGBT community as all Americans can celebrate this news.

“With the ruling in the Proposition 8 case, Californians will now be able to marry the person who they love. This is a reaffirmation of the loving commitments that LGBT Californians are already sharing across our state.

“Further, I am glad that the Supreme Court has announced what we already knew—that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. It makes clear that all couples and families are to be treated equally under the eyes of the law. It is about time we move beyond division and discrimination and instead work toward ensuring the equal rights guaranteed to all citizens under the Constitution.”

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, said, “I am elated to know that same-sex couples now have the opportunity to marry and look forward to celebrating with friends who are no longer legally barred from pursuing their own happiness, regardless of who they love.

“Today is a great day to celebrate a renewed commitment to equal treatment and respect of one another, but I pledge to defend equal rights for all people as the injustice created by inequality still persists in many corners of our society.”

Equality is never achieved easily, but is worth fighting for, Gonzalez said.

San Diego County Democratic Party Chair Francine Busby said:  “After election day nearly five years ago, millions of Californians awoke to find their right to marry stripped away by Proposition 8. Today’s Supreme Court ruling on the initiative restores that right for same-sex couples here, and the related decision on DOMA is a huge step forward for Americans in a dozen other states.

“We are all lifted up when freedom and opportunity expand to include more people. That’s a core Democratic value—and a deeply American value. And that’s why the fight for full equality must continue, for marriage and for all civil rights.”

San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria, who is gay, called it a “proud day to be an American.”

“When civil rights are secured for more people, our country is stronger,” Gloria said. “I am grateful to every person who loved and lived proudly and who worked hard and sacrificed to make this justice a reality.”

Gloria added that he “will be asking the City Council’s Rules Committee to examine all of the city’s policies to make sure they are consistent with post-DOMA federal regulations and that our employees are afforded proper benefits.”

Gay members of San Diego’s large military population also stand to gain from the rulings. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon will immediately dole out the same benefits to all military spouses, regardless of sexual orientation.

—City News Service contributed to this report.