Thursday, August 5, 2010

Bigotry Takes a Hit

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by Michelle Goldberg
The Daily Beast.

BS Top - Goldberg Same Sex Marriage

Most people who followed the Proposition 8 trial expected Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker to overturn California’s same-sex marriage ban. Still, the scope and breadth of the decision is thrilling. In clear, cogent prose, Walker systematically eviscerated every hackneyed canard and bad-faith assertion offered by religious conservatives to justify rank bigotry against gays and lesbians.

“Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license,” Walker wrote. “Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. 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, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional,” the judge ruled.

read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-08-04/prop-8-overturned-vaughn-walkers-ruling-on-gay-marriage/?om_rid=NE2jGV&om_mid=_BMWq3ZB8RQ-ysj&