Culture

Gay acitvists launch ballot proposal, gear up for 2010

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | September 24, 2009 at 05:49 pm

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Gay activists are hoping they can win back the right to marry in California. The fight is expected to be expensive - in the tens of millions of dollars - and grassroots groups are gearing up for the 2010 polls.

The proposed amendment will stress the "two persons" concept of marriage, but will replace "one man, one woman" with a clause which precludes orientation discrimination.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Gay rights activists hoping to win back the right to marry in California submitted a ballot proposal on Thursday for the November 2010 election -- a date deep-pocketed advocates have said is too soon.
Californians in November voted to ban same-sex marriage after courts made it legal in the spring. Advocates ever since have been debating when to challenge the ban, known as Prop 8, in the state, which is closely divided on the issue despite a social liberal reputation.

The Los Angeles group Love Honor Cherish filed a proposed state constitutional amendment that repeals the gay marriage ban and says churches would not be forced to perform any marriage.

"Marriage is between only two persons and shall not be restricted on the basis of race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or religion," the proposed amendment says in part.