[mercyteapot]

Since when does a particular issue need to be called out in the Constitution in order to be a civil rights issue? The gay marriage ban is unconstitutional because gays as a group are denied the rights that the government grants men and women who are married while simultaneously refusing them the right to do so.

[Roy Fokker]

Originally Posted by earle58

one's constitutional rights trump biblical rights at all times.
no contest.

leslie

So there is no such thing as "free expression of religion", huh?

cheers,

PS: What is a "constitutional right" ?

[ingelein]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...ype=gaylesbian

The state Constitution's guarantees of personal privacy and autonomy protect "the right of an individual to establish a legally recognized family with the person of one's choice," said Chief Justice Ronald George, who wrote the 121-page majority opinion. He said the Constitution "properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as opposite-sex couples."

It is a civil right under the states constitution.

Anticipating the possibility of Thursday's ruling, conservative religious groups have submitted more than 1.1 million signatures on petitions for an initiative that would enshrine the ban on same-sex marriage as a state constitutional amendment. That ban was first put in place as a law by the Legislature in 1977 and was reaffirmed by voters in 2000 as a ballot initiative.

There is going to be a long hard fight but I think that the "moral majority", wont win this one anymore.MO only.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_right
A constitutional right is a right granted by a government's constitution (on the national or sub-national level), and cannot be legally denied by that government.

State Constitutional Rights in the US Each of the United States has its own governing constitution. State constitutions cannot reduce legal protections afforded by the federal charter, but they can provide additional protections. Even where the text of a state constitution matches verbatim that of the federal constitution, the state document may be held to provide more to the citizen. State constitutional rights can also include those entirely unaddressed in the federal constitution, such as the right to adequate education or the right to affordable housing.

What is your definition of a constitutional right?

[earle58]

Originally Posted by Roy Fokker

PS: What is a "constitutional right" ?

the 14th amendment of the constitution extends "equal protection of the laws" to all citizens...
and is in violation when we discriminate on the basis of gender when issuing marriage licenses.

leslie

[barefootlady]

As long as it is adults involved in making the decision to marry, who cares the sex of the people involved? That's right, I said adults. No underage marriage with consent of parents. Before anyone flames me, I once refused to sign the papers for a daughter, she had no valid reason to marry underage, so a little time went by and puff, the big love was over. Saved a costly wedding, a costly divorce, and kept me from having a creep for a SIL. I do not say creep lightly, he has been married 3 times, has 6 kids, and parents and inlaws have raised them. Creep!

[mercyteapot]

Why would anyone flame you for refusing to allow your underage daughter to marry? There is a valid basis for not allowing children to marry, and it isn't just some children, it is all of them.

No such acceptable basis exists for denying that right to homosexuals.

[barefootlady]

mercy,
sometimes my views are a little out of touch. LOL.

[bethin]

We're worrying about who marries who when we're still fighting a war with no end in sight?

Yep, makes perfect sense to me.

[earle58]

Originally Posted by bethin

We're worrying about who marries who when we're still fighting a war with no end in sight?

Yep, makes perfect sense to me.

well you know what, bethy?
this is huge news to some.
and if we go by your logic, we'd be shutting down the entire bb, including the gm thread you participate in.
let's keep it in perspective, yes?

leslie

[Reno1978]

I'm glad the decision went the way it did.

I must agree with Bethin though. It is going to shift focus away from issues that should matter more to Americans, like the war.

I need to say that as someone who has been in a 12-year relationship, I'm more concerned with the state of our economy, the war, fuel prices, and our political climate than I am the ability to marry my boyfriend someday.

I'm not trying to discount the decision made by the CA Supreme Court. I think it's a monumental moment in GLBT history. I don't think, though, that it should become a hot political issue that either party can use to manipulate voters.