A California judge ruled that the voter-enacted ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, is unconstitutional on Wednesday.
In his ruling, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker wrote that Prop. 8 did not serve any purpose except to “enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.”
He then concluded that “because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis … Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.”
The ruling comes following a lawsuit by two same-sex couples and the City of San Francisco, claiming that Proposition 8, by banning same-sex marriage five-months after it was legalized by California’s Supreme Court, deprives them of due process of the law and equality rights. Upon the announcement, supporters outside the courthouse cheered and waved rainbow-striped flags to celebrate the news.
In San Luis Obispo, the news of the ban’s overturning was met with enthusiasm from proponents of same-sex marriage, especially from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), a local non-profit dedicated to promoting the well-being of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
The center’s coordinator Lorelei Monet called the ruling “outstanding.”
“The reaction here has been really positive,” she said. “People are happy to see things moving in the right direction.”
Though the LGBT community seems to have won a victory, Monet said that there are still going to be conflicts ahead.
“There are definitely going to be appeals,” Monet said, “but we are hopeful to keep on winning. It is great to see though, that the federal court is finally recognizing that this is unconstitutional.”