Los Angeles Mayor Opposes Antigay Initiatives

LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa last week became one of the first politicians to announce his formal opposition to the antigay constitutional amendments headed for next year's statewide ballot.
In a news conference on October 6, Villaraigosa announced that he would actively oppose any initiative that would repeal domestic partnership rights and permanently ban marriage for same-sex couples.
"I don't believe government should be in our bedrooms. I don't believe the government should be making decisions about who we love and who we choose to make a family with. It's a basic, simple notion of the right of privacy and the right of liberty. And yes, I will be very active on that issue because I don't believe we should be engaged in those issues," Villaraigosa told reporters last week.
He also said that he would be just as involved in fighting the initiatives as he was during the No on Proposition 22 campaign of 2000; the law banned gay marriage in the family code. As speaker of the California Assembly, Villaraigosa served as the co-chair of the No on Prop. 22 campaign and contributed $10,000 against that initiative.
One if not two antigay initiatives may appear on the California ballot as early as June 2006. If passed, the initiatives would permanently ban gay marriage in the state constitution as well as revoke current domestic partnership protections. Because the initiatives are constitutional amendments, there would be no way to launch any in-state legal challenge to them, as courts and legislators are bound by the constitution.
"Marriage. Invalidation of Domestic Partnership" is the title of the initiative sponsored by Gail Knight, widow of the late state Senator Pete Knight, who authored Proposition 22. Gail Knight's initiative "amends the California Constitution to provide that a marriage between a man and a woman is the only legally recognized union in California" and "bars domestic partnerships from being valid or recognized as legal unions in California." Its organizers are currently in the process of gathering the 598,105 valid signatures needed to qualify it for the ballot; the petition and more information can be found at www.protectmarriage.com.
A similar initiative backed by Randy Thomasson's Campaign for Children and Families was titled "Marriage. Elimination of Domestic Partner Rights" by Attorney General Bill Lockyer. The group is currently fighting to change the title and summary; on September 21 an appeals court denied this request and on September 29 the group asked the state Supreme Court to hear the matter. The group's Web site at www.voteyesmarriage.com refers to the initiative as the Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Initiative.
In announcing his opposition to the amendments, Villaraigosa joins San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who previously stated his opposition during an interview with CBS 5's Hank Plante.
"I think it's outrageous. I think it's offensive," Newsom said during the August 22 interview.
The coalition is in the process of organizing more elected officials and local governments against the initiatives, he said, and will start with those who voted for the recently passed gender-neutral marriage bill, which Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed on September 29, as well as those who have previously pledged to oppose any efforts that would ban gay marriage or domestic partnerships. Equality for All will send out letters next month asking for these positions to be reiterated and/or publicly declared.
Schwarzenegger himself has spoken about his unwavering support for domestic partnerships, and said in his gay marriage veto message that he would "continue to vigorously defend and enforce these rights and as such will not support any rollback." He has not, however, publicly taken a stand against the pending initiatives.
Because one initiative is still fighting its way through court, securing broader statements against antigay initiatives may be an initial goal until the exact language of the proposed amendment is known "and we know what we're dealing with," said Kors.
Still, speaking about – and opposing – the specific initiatives is critical, he said, and Equality for All is hoping that Schwarzenegger will soon be asked by the media about his positions on them.
"We are still waiting for a reporter to ask him that particular question," said Kors. "We're hoping to see that exchange happen in public. Saying he doesn't support something is not the same as saying he opposes them, and what he seems to be doing is playing to both sides, and that needs to be clarified."
from Bay Area Reporter