More good news on the marriage equality front! Today, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found Proposition 8 to be unconstitutional. California voters passed the measure in 2008, explicitly defining marriage to be between one man and one woman. In the four-month period before the law took effect, an estimated 18,000 same-sex couples wed in California. Today the court ruled that “Proposition 8 served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California.” This is an important victory, and experts think the case will make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court within the next year. Between Washington state’s recent marriage equality bill and 116 U.S. mayors signing a Freedom To Marry pledge, it feels like the tide is finally turning in the fight for equal rights. It’s about time. Read the full text of the court’s decision here. [Los Angeles Times]
