Tomorrow (or maybe next Monday), the US Supreme Court will announce what will be done about California’s Proposition 8, that odious blight on the California constitution that bars gay and lesbian couples from legal marriage. My husband and I had the good fortune of getting married in the brief window of time in 2008 when same-sex marriages were legal here, and our marriage is still recognized by the state. (We also had a fantastic church wedding in Chicago in 2001!) Thousands of people await the Supreme Court’s decision.
If the decision is NOT TO hear the case, then quite quickly, California will be issuing marriage licences to gay and lesbian couples. If the decision is TO hear the case, then there’s no telling when we’ll have a final word on the issue.
(By the way, my friend Jeff Zarrillo is one of the plaintiffs in the Prop 8 case.)
Also at stake is DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents legally married same-sex couples from receiving any of the Federally recognized benefits given to opposite-sex couples. DOMA has been declared unconstitutional in several lower Federal courts, so it’s up to the Supreme Court to make a final ruling. Many experts say that the Court will most likely take up DOMA and eventually rule DOMA unconstitutional. This would be a great outcome!
I stand with all loving couples who want to get married. It is an honor for me to be selected as anyone’s wedding officiant, no matter the genders of the couple. If you are a gay or lesbian couple and would like to talk to me about your wedding plans, please give me a call or send me an email. I’d love to meet over coffee for some conversation and brainstorming! And check out this video from one of my recent weddings in Malibu.