CALIFORNIANS RALLY ACROSS THE STATE TO ENCOURAGE THE GOVERNOR BE A HERO, DON’T DO A VETO SEQUEL, AND SIGN AB 43

San Francisco, CA: Marriage Equality USA (MEUSA), Equality California (EQCA) and other allied organizations are hosting rallies in over a dozen cities throughout the state to show the Governor that the will of the people supports equality and to urge him to be a hero, not do a veto sequel but rather sign Assembly Bill (AB) 43 (SF: Leno) – the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act – (sponsored by Equality California.)

“We are gathering together around the state to urge the Governor to look into our faces, to think of our children who have to explain why their families aren‟t good enough to marry to the schoolyard bullies, or to consider the seniors who struggle with explaining to uninformed cremation businesses that as domestic partners they actually do have the right to make such decisions for their deceased partners, at least in California,” said Molly McKay, MEUSA Media Director. “Like hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples, I can‟t wait to marry my life-partner, Davina. We only want for our families what the Governor wants for his own wife and children, the same dignity, security and peace of mind of knowing that their Government will see and treat them as a family. Domestic partnerships are unequal and unfair. We simply seek the freedom to marry and live our own happily ever afters.”

“With a stroke of a pen, the Governor will determine this week what role he will play in this civil rights struggle of our generation. We plan to rally across the state to urge Governor Schwarzenegger to be the courageous hero who does the right thing and ensures true equality for hundreds of thousands of his LGBT Constituents,” said Pamela Brown, MEUSA Policy Director. “He can no longer hide behind the Prop 22 Ballot measure from 2000. The entire landscape around LGBT equality has moved light years forward from that dark time in California‟s history. After the Marriage Equality bill passed the California Legislature in 2005, not one legislator who voted for the bill lost their seat, in fact those who voted for the bill, were elected over those who abstained in the following election. Then in the 2006 elections, even more pro-marriage equality candidates were elected and this year and the California Legislature again passed the Marriage Equality bill with even more votes than before. Opponents of marriage equality claim that „judicial activism‟ is responsible for the extension of civil rights to same-sex couples. With the California Supreme Court set to hear this issue early next year, this may be the last chance for the Governor to fulfill California‟s destiny to become the first state in the nation to secure marriage equality through the Legislature. The time is now and we hope that the Governor leaves a legacy of standing on the side of ensuring all Californians are treated equally under the law.”

Rallies will be held in Bakersfield, Fresno, Humboldt, Lakeport, Los Angeles, Marin, Modesto, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, San Luis Obispo, Santa Rosa, Silicon Valley, Stockton, Ukiah, and Yolo.

Rallies will be held on Tuesday, September 18th across the state.


>> This is an official press release from the National Press Center of Marriage Equality USA, a national organization whose mission is to secure legally recognized civil marriage equality for all, at the federal and state level, without regard to gender identity or sexual orientation.