Marriage Equality

I am the mother of a gay daughter. She is my pride and joy. As a high school student she struggled with depression due to the many subtle and not so subtle reminders that being gay is somehow not ok. All of us have friends and family that still experience prejudice and discrimination due to their sexual orientation. 

One of the clearest forms of discrimination against our gay family and friends is marriage inequality. Marriage is codified legally within our federal, state, and local laws. This legal codification provides over 1,500 legal benefits, such as access to pensions, federal tax exemptions, parental rights, and many more rights that are excluded from civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Unfortunately civil unions do not bring the full equality and legal and other benefits that marriage bestows. Civil unions also convey a separate and unequal status. All couples regardless of their sexual orientation deserve to be given the legal and conceptual dignity and the recognition that our society conveys through marriage. I opposed the Knight intiative and will actively work to stop the current initiative effort to place a constitutional amendment on the CA Nov 2008 ballot that would limit marriage to heterosexual couples.

I support marriage equality. Anything short of full marriage equality to all couples regardless of sexual orientation is discriminatory.