Calif. may be headed for epic marriage battle

Link: Washington Blade

Excerpt:

A possible California referendum on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions has pundits predicting an epic battle this November that could end in the approval of same-sex marriage or a massive rollback in relationship recognition.

VoteYesMarriage.com, the group collecting signatures to get the measure on the ballot this fall, has declared that it obtained by the April 28 deadline the 1.1 million signatures needed to bring the issue to voters. The California secretary of state has yet to certify that the signatures are valid and is not expected to make such an announcement until June.

Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, said he is “99 percent certain” that the measure will be on the ballot because VoteYesMarriage.com turned in enough signatures for the secretary of state to start a random check to see if enough are legitimate.

As the secretary of state tabulates the signatures, the California Supreme Court is considering a case in which plaintiffs are seeking the recognition of same-sex marriage in California. The court has a self-imposed deadline of June 2 to make a decision.

If the courts rule in favor of same-sex marriage and the amendment appears on the November ballot, California voters could invalidate the judges’ decision and any marriages entered into by gay couples afterward.

Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, told the Blade that defeating the referendum is the “single most important challenge” facing same-sex marriage supporters this year. The failure of the referendum would put supporters of same-sex marriage “on a glide path to full victory” across the nation, he said.

“If we succeed in blocking this amendment in California, what will follow, in very short order, is marriage in California,” he said.

Wolfson talked about marriage Saturday at an Association of Gay & Lesbian Psychiatrists symposium in Washington.

Activists would not lose everything they’ve accomplished if California voters approve a ban on same-sex marriage, he said.

“Our movement will continue moving forward because of so much else that we have unleashed — the generational momentum of support among young people, the growing recognition of fairness,” he said. “We will not lose all of that, but we will vastly prolong the timeline.”

Kors said the gravity of the amendment fight means that supporters of same-sex marriage face “a mammoth, unprecedented campaign” in defeating the amendment.

“It’s going to take a Herculean effort to win, but this is winnable,” he said. “We believe California voters will reject this politics of division and hate that we think voters around the country are sick and tired of.”

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[jw]