Artemis and Lori: Married Nov 3, 2008 - but the next day California voters stripped them of their right to marry their partner of choice
Artemis & Lori had been in a relationship for 15 years before they married in Palm Springs, California on November 3, 2008. The following day, California voters voted to strip them of their civil right to to marry the partner of their choice by passing Proposition 8. I took the above photo in Anchorage, Alaska 12 days after their wedding, on November 15, as they joined millions of lesbians, gays, & their allies in cities all around America protesting Proposition 8 & other such products of prejudice which deny us equality under the law. (Alaska voters passed a similar proposition in 1998, about which you can read some of the history in my 9 May 2009 post “Same-sex marriage: A personal history”.)
Yesterday Artemis & Lori’s marriage became more than a legal anomaly again, thanks to a ruling by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker that found Prop 8 to be unconstitutional. Undoubtedly the case will go on to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals & thence to the U.S. Supreme Court — but for now, same-sex couples have hopes of finding legal recognition — at least in California & the other few states that accord equivalent rights to same-sex couples — of their love & commitment to one another.
I’m not going to write about this length — I just want to celebrate.
Congratulations Artemis & Lori, & all the other visitors to & residents of California whose love for another was voted off the books in 2008! Congratulations, all you other same-sex couples who now might be able to marry!
Here’s some Alaska places where you can read more in-depth commentary & analysis about Judge Walker’s decision & what it might mean to us in Alaska:
- 8/4/10. “Day of Decision on Prop H8 – Anchorage rally” by E. Ross (Bent Alaska). Posted before the decision was announced, here’s the basic info on where to go to celebrate the decision.
- 8/4/10. “Gay Marriage Ban Overturned! *Updates & Reviews*” by E. Ross (Bent Alaska).
- 8/4/10. “Prop 8 Overturned; Time to Turn the Clocks Forward in Anchorage” by John Aronno (Alaska Commons). Crossposted at The Mudflats. John is one of my favorite all-time allies, ever since I sat through most of the AO-64 public hearings in the Anchorage Assembly with him & Heather last summer. He does a great job of summing up how the Prop 8 decision relates to the situation for us LGBTQ & allied in Alaska.
- 8/4/2010. ” ‘A private moral view that same-sex couples are inferior to opposite-sex couples is not a proper basis for legislation’ “ by Steve Aufrecht (What Do I Know?). A look at Judge Walker’s actual opinion in the case: a good opener to understanding the legal reasoning underlying his decision.
Marriage = <3 + <3 (at Anchorage PrideFest 2010)
