Appeals court rules California Prop 8 unconstitutional

This news is a few days old, but I think it’s worth discussing here…

A federal appeals court declared California’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional today, saying a state can’t revoke gay rights solely because a majority of its voters disapprove of homosexuality.

In a 2-1 ruling, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Proposition 8’s limitations on access to marriage took rights away from a vulnerable minority without benefiting parents, children or the marital institution.

“Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples,” said Judge Stephen Reinhardt in the majority opinion.

What’s notable in the 2-1 ruling issued by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is that it’s written so conservatively that it will likely cause the U.S. Supreme Court to pass on hearing the case.

While this ruling is certainly a step in the right direction towards marriage equality for all Americans, there’s still A LOT of work left to be done. However, supporters of marriage equality have one important factor on their side: demographics. Those who support banning marriage equality for same-sex couples skew far older than the group that supports marriage equality, and the younger group happens to outnumber the older group.

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