Sep 22, 2007News: 15,000 Marriage Petitions Delivered to California Governor
By Danny Sonnenschein
(USA) - Equality California submitted some 15,000 petitions to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, urging him to sign the law that would recognize marriages of Gay couples. Exactly 14,766 Californians have signed EQCA's online petition supporting AB 43, the recently-passed marriage legislation that is on its way to the Schwarzenegger’s office. Gov. Schwarzenegger has vowed to veto the bill.
"EQCA urges the governor to recognize that public support for marriage is growing, and we ask him to respect the wishes of the thousands of Californians who believe all couples should be afforded the honor and recognition that come only with marriage," said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. "Our hope is that the governor takes into account the lives of countless California families who would be impacted by this legislation before he makes his final decision," Kors said.
On September 8, EQCA initiated an online campaign to gain 10,000 signatures from California’s residents in support of AB 43, a bill sponsored by EQCA and drafted by Assembly member Mark Leno of San Francisco. The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act ensures the constitution's guarantee of religious freedom and provides the vital benefits and protections of officially recognized unions to marriages of Gay people. In a coiple of days, 10,000 Californians had signed the petition. In less than a week, the overall number of signatures soon surpassed the 14,000 mark.
"These names represent just a small percentage of the fair-minded Californians who support marriage for all couples," Kors said. "EQCA thanks the thousands of people who took a moment to sign the petition calling on our state to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage."
