Pro-Family Californian Denounces Illegal Homosexual 'Marriage' Bill
by Jenni Parker
December 8, 2004
(AgapePress) - On the first day of the California State Legislature's new session, Democrats in the assembly reintroduced their top priority -- a bill to legalize same-sex "marriage" statewide. Pro-family leaders in the state are condemning the pro-homosexual bill as both anti-democratic and a slap in the face of the voters who almost five years ago passed Proposition 22, a ballot measure protecting traditional marriage.
In March 2000, California voters overwhelmingly supported Prop. 22 by 61.4 percent, thus stating their agreement with the ballot measure's assertion that "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." However, the finer points of that law's meaning are now being challenged by the newly introduced AB 19, legislation which suggests that Prop. 22's provisions only forbid the recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages.
But although Assemblyman Mark Leno of San Francisco, the homosexual author of the bill, claims he can create same-sex marriages in California under Prop. 22, his conservative colleagues in the legislature beg to differ. Assemblyman Tim Leslie of Roseville suggested that Leno and any other lawmakers who supported AB 19 were seeking to "radically alter the nature of marriage."
However, Leslie insists that to enact the pro-homosexual marriage bill would prove not only contrary to most Californians' religious and historical values, but also "would be contrary to the will of the people" of the state. Speaking as the longest serving member of the California Legislature, Leslie says, "The state has no right to uproot America's bedrock values in the name of 'anything goes' morality."
A few Democrat legislators, such as Joe Canciamilla (D-Pittsburg), have also indicated they believe the bill is a mistake, and even House Speaker Fabian Nunez, a co-author of the bill, is rethinking whether it is a wise strategy to push it at present, particularly in light of the 2004 national election results. But a group of liberal San Francisco clergy have declared their support for AB 19, saying it is consistent with Christian teachings because it promoted equality for homosexuals. According to Associated Press, that group includes representatives from area Baptist, Unitarian, United Church of Christ, and Metropolitan Community churches.
Randy Thomasson | |
Pro-Family Protest
Pro-family leaders and conservatives might suggest that neither now nor any other time is expedient for AB 19. Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families (CCF), a California-based nonprofit educational organization that represents children and families in the state, agrees that the state's lawmakers would be out of line to enact the bill. In fact, he contends that AB 19 is an absolutely illegal attempt to push homosexual marriage on the citizens of California and their families, trashing their vote in the process.At a December 7 news conference at the State Capitol, representatives of CCF and other pro-family organizations came out to blast the "homosexual marriage license bill," which Thomasson refers to as an "anti-voter" measure that will, if passed, effectively "turn marriage upside down." He says the Democratic politicians are "pushing a sex-crazed agenda which is out of step with the majority of Californians," who have already indicated by ballot their belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.
At the news conference, the CCF president presented a sworn affidavit from the attorney who drafted Prop. 22, in an effort to show why it would be illegal to create homosexual marriage in California through AB 19. Professor Lynn Wardle, who drafted that legislation, stated in the affidavit that the wording of Prop. 22 was specifically framed to "bar same-sex marriage as a matter of both domestic and inter-jurisdictional law." In other words, Prop. 22 declares same-sex marriages within California invalid and also forbids recognition of same-sex marriages that have been recognized or validated out of state.
"AB 19 is illegal," Thomasson says. "It should not have been introduced. It should not even get a hearing. And it will certainly be struck down if it were ever to become law."
When Prop. 22 was on the ballot in 2000, it was supported by 4.6 million California voters, with the majority in 52 out of 58 counties in the state voting to reserve the right of marriage for a man and a woman only. A Los Angeles Times exit poll found that the marriage protection measure was favored by 65 percent of Latino voters, 62 percent of black voters, 59 percent of Asian voters, and 58 percent of white voters in California.
