California legalises same sex marriage

16 May 2008

California's Supreme Court yesterday declared that lesbian and gay couples can marry.

They concluded in a 4-3 majority

"...that retention of the traditional definition of marriage does not
constitute a state interest sufficiently compelling, under the strict
scrutiny equal protection standard, to justify
withholding that status from same-sex couples. Accordingly, insofar as the
provisions of sections 300 and 308.5 draw a distinction between opposite-sex
couples and same-sex couples and exclude the latter from access to the
designation
of marriage, we conclude these statutes are unconstitutional."

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