TVC Lobbyist Condemns Committee's Passage of Blatant Same-Sex Marriage Bill.
by Staff
April 16, 2007
Sacramento, California (christiansunite.com) - "Liberal Democrats on the Assembly Judiciary Committee have turned their backs on California's families and voters and have caved in to the demands of California's homosexual community," said Benjamin Lopez, Lobbyist for Traditional Values Coalition (TVC). "Seven Democrats on a legislative committee have taken it upon themselves to unravel and destroy the definition of marriage that the people approved."
Earlier today the Assembly Judiciary Committee voted to approve Assembly Bill 43, by homosexual Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) on a party-line vote of 7 to 3. The Committee's three lone Republicans voted no. The bill would strike references to "male" and "female" in the marriage code and would instead add the phrase "two persons" to the definition of marriage thereby allowing two men or two women to marry. Assembly Bill 43 is Assemblyman Leno's third attempt to legalize same-sex marriages through the legislature. All prior attempts have failed.
"It is clear yet again that Democrats have jumped in bed with the radical homosexual community...and they are not using any protection," Lopez said, who attended the hearing and gave testimony. "This vote makes it clear that it is Democrats in the Legislature that are determined to get homosexual marriage enacted any way they can and undermine Prop 22. It is Democrats that are pro-gay and anti-traditional family."
In the March 2000 Primary Election, 61.4% of California voters passed Proposition 22, which stated: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Though AB 43 claims that it does not undermine or alter section 308.5 of the marriage code, which is Prop 22, it strips the gender specific language of current law and is designed to pose a contradiction that would undermine Prop 22's language and give way to legal challenges to Prop 22.
"AB 43 brings about an issue of cheap semantics by amending other related sections of law to get around the restrictions of another," Lopez said.
"If every supporter of this bill is confident that the people of California are in favor of same-sex marriage, as they boast and flaunt, why then don't they take this issue directly to the voters just as we did with Prop 22?," Lopez asked. "They won't. They will not do so because they would lose and they know it. So, instead they must resort to liberal legislators and rogue judges to forcibly implement same-sex marriage on the people."
AB 43 will soon go to the full Assembly for a vote. Should it pass it will be sent to the State Senate. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated he would veto AB 43 should it reach his desk. In 2005, Assemblyman Leno publicly credited Lopez for defeating his same-sex marriage bill then. Lopez said he intends to enact the same strategy used then to stop AB 43.
"We will be relentless in conveying to key legislators that California is not in favor of blatant homosexual marriages," Lopez said. "After all, 101 out of 120 legislative districts voted for Prop 22. The people of California clearly do not subscribe to the twisted and out of step definition of marriage Leno and company seek to force on us. Besides, knowing the bill is dead on arrival should it reach the Governor, why would legislators fall on their sword for a bill that is going nowhere?!"
