Community Celebrates 60th Anniversary of California Supreme Court Decision Perez v Sharp Ending California’s Interracial Marriage Ban

Oakland, CA: On Friday, September 26, 2008 from 7pm to 9pm at the EastSide Cultural Center at 2277 International Blvd in Oakland, the Final Friday Films of Resistance and Solidarity and several community organizations will co-host a series of short films and a panel discussion on the historic struggle for marriage equality for interracial couples 60 years ago and the parallels to same-sex couples today.

“It was 60 years ago this month, in 1948, that the California Supreme Court became the first state to declare that the right to marry the person you love is a „fundamental right of citizenship‟ and struck down the law banning couples of different races from marrying,” said Stuart Gaffney, Asian Pacific Islander Outreach Director of Marriage Equality USA, “My family would not exist without this historic decision, as my mom is Chinese-American and my father is Irish-American. One generation later , in June of this year, the California Supreme Court has continued its tradition of extending fairness and equality by striking down the law banning couples of the same-sex from marrying. My husband, John, and I are overjoyed to be legally married as we celebrate our 21st year together this month.”

“Thanks to the Perez decision, my parents were able to marry in California,” said Gaffney. “However, when they moved to Missouri and started looking for a home, they learned that their marriage was null and void under Missouri law. My husband John and I are now living that same experience today. The Perez decision, so controversial at the time it was decided, is now just an accepted part of the civil rights movement that is too often forgotten and its linkages to the similar struggles of same-sex couples today are important to recognize.”

Also featured at this event is the Marriage Equality Movement Family Story Quilt, a project of Marriage Equality USA that intersperses photos and stories from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) families and allies. “The quilt reflects the diversity of our families and communities, as well as the urgency of this marriage equality issue,” said Maya Scott Chung, MEUSA Parents Outreach Director and Story Quilt Curator.


>> 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.