Sacramento, CA – Today Assembly Bill (AB) 19: the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles) passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee with a 6-3 vote. AB 19, sponsored by Equality California, ensures equal treatment under the law by allowing same-sex couples to marry in California while continuing to guarantee religious freedom.

“America was founded on the concept of separation of church and state, with the guarantee that religious freedom will be respected and the state will treat all people equally in the eyes of the law,” stated Assemblymember Mark Leno. “AB 19 puts that fundamental right into practice."

“Today is a tremendous day for committed couples and their children who only wish to protect and provide for their families,” said Executive Director Geoffrey Kors of Equality California. “California cannot continue to discriminate against love and commitment. Two loving people who simply want to live their lives together deserve equal treatment under the law."

“California cannot have an honest discussion about civil rights without talking about gay and lesbian rights,” said Alice Huffman, President of the California State Convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “Both movements have a place in history as the NAACP stands tall with the gay and lesbian community.”

“As a woman of faith and as a spiritual leader, I am committed to strive for justice and to affirm the dignity and equality of every human being as a child of God," said Reverend Bea Chun, pastor of Christ the Good Shepard Lutheran Church in San Jose. "I have come to believe that the question of civil marriage equality is very much a justice issue."

“Our family should be afforded the same rights and responsibilities as any other family,” said Baltimore Gonzalez, EQCA’s Volunteer Chapter Leader in Fresno. “We should not be second class citizens in our own homes.”

AB 19 follows last year's historic vote when the committee became the first in the country to pass a marriage equality bill without a court order. There are now 200 organizations from across all communities in support of marriage equality.

ASSEMBLY JUDICIARY VOTE:

6 AYES: Jones, Evans, Laird, Levine, Lieber and Montañez

3 NOES: Harman, Haynes and Leslie

Founded in 1998, Equality California is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure the dignity, safety, equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. Equality California is one of the largest and fastest growing statewide LGBT organizations in the country. Their website is www.eqca.org

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 at 5:20 PM. Want to discuss? Leave a comment below.