The office of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked on Wed., Sept. 14 to meet with California state gay political leaders over California's same-sex marriage bill, which the governor has promised to veto. West Hollywood City Council member John Duran, who also chairs the board of the state-wide civil rights organization, Equality California (EQCA), promised to attend.Geoff Kors, EQCA's executive director, told the PlanetOut Network after the invitation, "I think it's a long shot that Gov. Schwarzenegger is going to change his mind and sign the bill, but I thought it was a long shot that the Assembly passed it."
The same-sex marriage bill was approved by the state assembly after passing late in August in the Senate. It was the first time in the nation's history that a same-sex marriage bill passed both chambers of a state's legislature without a court order.
Margita Thompson, the governor's spokeswoman, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Schwarzenegger still plans to veto the bill. "The governor will not change his mind on this bill," she said. "The legal issues do not change, regardless of public input. It will take another vote of the people or a court action to determine the issue."
A WeHo couple poses for WeHoNews.com. Neither would say whether or whom they would marry, given the right, but both wanted it. By Ryan Gierach. |
Mr. Kors remains determined. "We have seen people move dramatically in short periods of time. The whole tide of history is moving very rapidly. Look what happened in Massachusetts," Mr. Kors said, referring to lawmakers voting down a proposed constitutional amendment on Wednesday that would have eliminated the same-sex marriages made legal nearly two years ago.
The meeting is set to take place in the governor's office today, Wednesday the 21st. The governor's chief of staff is expected to chair the meeting, but there is no word on whether Schwarzenegger will attend.
Deputy to West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land, Lisa Belsanti, shared the following letter written by her dad in Illinois to Governor Schwarzenegger appealing to him to grant his daughter her rights.
Dear Governor -
Please sign the marriage equality bill. My daughter has been in a relationship for 10 years. 5 years ago I walked her daughter down the aisle for her “commitment ceremony”. I would like to do the same for my daughter when she is able to legally marry and I’d would like to see that happen in my lifetime. My girls need the right to marry in order to protect each other and protect their family. They just bought their first home and they hope one day to give me a couple more grandkids. Right now I have 5 and you can never have too many grandkids.
Governor you have always portrayed strong fearless leaders in your films. Be a real life hero and sign this bill. My kids needs those 1,500 rights and protections that my wife of 37 years and my other kids get, just for being straight. You can’t ask your kids to be straight or gay. It is not a choice they make. But you can ask your girls, and I have four of them, if they can be good. Because everybody gay or straight can be good. Lisa and Becky are both are my good girls. I worry about them because they don’t have their full civil rights and bad things can happen to people when they are unprotected by the law.
As a parent of four, it is difficult to deal with the reality that not all my kids are treated equally. Lisa and Becky are sometimes not even treated with civility. They have been discriminated against just for being who they are, something I always taught my kids was, “just be who you are and just be happy”. They have been vilified by the church, especially the radical religious right that uses them as a scapegoat. Plus, the government refuses to allow them to be treated equally, leaving them vulnerable to the discriminators and haters out there.
Signing this bill will not only be remembered in the history books, but in the hearts and parents like me and my wife, our other children, our grandchildren, and all people who treat each other fairly and without prejudice. Though I don’t live in California, what happens in California affects me because that is where my kids live. Please sign the marriage equality bill. Give my kids the same rights rights as everyone else. It is the right thing to do.
Nick Belsanti, Westchester, IL
Click Equality California to sign an electronic petition or:
to E mail the Governor
To phone and fax the Governor dial:
State Capitol Office: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
Los Angeles Office
300 South Spring Street, Suite 16701
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone: 213-897-0322 Fax: 213-897-0319
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