Gov. Schwarzenegger Promises to Veto Same-Sex Marriage Bill

From The San Francisco Chronicle: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, under growing pressure from his conservative supporters, promised Wednesday to veto the gay-marriage bill passed less than a day earlier by the Democrat-led Legislature.
The Legislature’s action trampled over Proposition 22, an initiative passed overwhelmingly in 2000 that banned same-sex marriage in California, said a spokeswoman for the governor.

“The governor believes the matter should be determined not by legislative action — which would be unconstitutional — but by a court decision or another vote of the people,” said Margita Thompson, Schwarzenegger’s press secretary. “We cannot have a system where the people vote and the Legislature derails the vote. Out of respect for the will of the people, the governor will veto AB849.”
This good news for the people of California — and for all Americans. The issue is not going to go away, as activists will continue their push for same-sex marriage. It will be interesting and informative to watch the public reponse to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s veto.
The Chronicle nevertheless declared 2005 a “momentous year for same-sex rights.”
California Supreme Court decisions supported the rights of gay domestic partners, two foreign countries approved same-sex marriage, state legislatures across the United States passed civil union and nondiscrimination laws, and state and federal courts recognized a variety of gay rights. A survey two weeks ago found California voters evenly split on same-sex marriage for the first time in history — 46 percent each way — according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

“There has been some definite shifting of ground on this issue,” said Mark Baldassare, director of research for the institute. In 2000, three months before 62 percent of California voters approved limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples with Proposition 22, the same survey found 55 percent of Californians opposed to same-sex marriage.
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