The California legislature became the first legislative body in the US to approve same-sex marriages, as gay-rights advocates overcame two earlier defeats in the assembly.
The 41-35 vote sends the bill to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had no comment on the bill when it cleared the state senate last week. His office did not immediately respond late on Tuesday to a call seeking comment.
The bill's supporters compared the legislation to earlier civil-rights campaigns, including efforts to eradicate slavery and give women the right to vote.
"Do what we know is in our hearts," said the bill's sponsor, San Francisco Democrat Mark Leno. "Make sure all California families will have the same protection under the law."
Leno's bill had failed in the assembly by four votes in June, but he was confident he could get it through on a second try after the senate approved a same-sex marriage bill last week.
Democratic Assemblyman Paul Koretz called bans on gay marriage "the last frontier of bigotry and discrimination, and it's time we put an end to it."
Assemblyman Tom Umberg, a Democrat who abstained when another gay-marriage bill fell four votes short in June, said he was concerned about what his three children would think of him if he didn't join those "who sought to take a leadership role in terms of tolerance, equality and fairness."
But opponents repeatedly cited the public's vote five years ago to approve Proposition 22, an initiative put on the ballot by gay-marriage opponents to keep California from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states or countries.
"History will record that you betrayed your constituents and their moral and ethical values," Republican Assemblyman Jay La Suer said.
The vote was hailed by gay and lesbian advocates, including Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, a backer of the bill.
"As the debate today shows, love conquers fear, principle conquers politics and equality conquers injustice, and the governor can now secure his legacy as a true leader by signing this bill," Kors said.
California already gives same-sex couples many of the rights and duties of marriage if they register with the state as domestic partners.
Regardless of what action Schwarzenegger takes, California's debate over gay marriage will continue on several fronts.
A state appeals court is considering challenges to a lower court ruling that overturned California laws banning recognition of gay marriages.
And opponents of same-sex marriage are trying to qualify initiatives for next year's ballot that would amend the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday vowed that those behind bogus flood control projects would be arrested before Christmas, days after deadly back-to-back typhoons left swathes of the country underwater. Scores of construction firm owners, government officials and lawmakers — including Marcos’ cousin congressman — have been accused of pocketing funds for substandard or so-called “ghost” infrastructure projects. The Philippine Department of Finance has estimated the nation’s economy lost up to 118.5 billion pesos (US$2 billion) since 2023 due to corruption in flood control projects. Criminal cases against most of the people implicated are nearly complete, Marcos told reporters. “We don’t file cases for
A feud has broken out between the top leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on whether to maintain close ties with Russia. The AfD leader Alice Weidel this week slammed planned visits to Russia by some party lawmakers, while coleader Tino Chrupalla voiced a defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The unusual split comes at a time when mainstream politicians have accused the anti-immigration AfD of acting as stooges for the Kremlin and even spying for Russia. The row has also erupted in a year in which the AfD is flying high, often polling above the record 20 percent it
Ecuadorans are today to vote on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and the drafting of a new constitution that could give the country’s president more power. Voters are to decide on the presence of foreign military bases, which have been banned on Ecuadoran soil since 2008. A “yes” vote would likely bring the return of the US military to the Manta air base on the Pacific coast — once a hub for US anti-drug operations. Other questions concern ending public funding for political parties, reducing the number of lawmakers and creating an elected body that would
‘ATTACK ON CIVILIZATION’: The culture ministry released drawings of six missing statues representing the Roman goddess of Venus, the tallest of which was 40cm Investigators believe that the theft of several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era from Syria’s national museum was likely the work of an individual, not an organized gang, officials said on Wednesday. The National Museum of Damascus was closed after the heist was discovered early on Monday. The museum had reopened in January as the country recovers from a 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year al-Assad dynasty last year. On Wednesday, a security vehicle was parked outside the main gate of the museum in central Damascus while security guards stood nearby. People were not allowed in because
RSS